Blind Date
by ktoll9
Summary: Sho is up to his antics again and Lory has a solution. Why is Ren so laid back and what is wrong with Yashiro? Poor Kyoko is caught in the middle and the only one that can really help is Kanae.
1. Chapter 1

_**Chapter 1**_

 _ **The Problem & Solution**_

* * *

She stared into her eccentric boss' eyes and then back down at the incriminating photos of Sho kissing her, again. If she weren't so stunned, she would have been phenomenally pissed.

"Mogami-kun... Did you hear anything I just said?" Lory prodded.

Kyoko's face twisted in anger. _How could Sho do this to me? He took advantage of the situation and caught me off guard. That bastard!_

"Mogami-kun! I said, that if you don't want people to think you have a relationship with Fuwa-san, you will have to start dating. It doesn't have to be anything serious, just a diversionary tactic for the press." He explained in a consoling parental way.

She sighed in defeat. "What do I have to do to get away from him and this mess?"

Lory smiled widely. "Well, it isn't a mess yet, but you do need to be seen with someone else. I really don't know what your relationship is with Fuwa-san, but perhaps him seeing you with someone else will discourage his behavior. Perhaps it will let him know that you aren't available to him and he will turn his attentions elsewhere."

"Don't count on it..." Kyoko grumbled.

Lory looked at her curiously. "Hm? Why do you think that Mogami-kun?"

She sighed. It was now or never, she was going to have to tell him everything or she was going to end up in a deeper mess. She now suspected that these pictures were why Ren was avoiding her, again. She had let her guard down and Sho had kissed her, again. "Well, it's like this..." She then told Lory everything. She told him about how they grew up together, how they ended up in Tokyo, how they ended their relationship and how he had been behaving ever since. Lory was livid when she told him about Sho's physical abuse towards her and how his manager did nothing to stop it. He wanted to personally strangle the boy when she told him of the forced bet, and now the photos of this kiss. It seriously had Lory wondering if the boy didn't plan those himself to make Ren jealous. Lory groaned internally. _And I just showed them to him without a little more research._ He sighed. "I'm very sorry that I didn't tell you before." She fell into a dogeza thinking that Lory's anger was directed towards her.

"No, no Mogami-kun. I'm not angry with you; although, I am a bit upset that you never told me any of this. I'm upset that someone could use love in such a despicable way." He explained.

She relaxed. Knowing the way he was, his reaction made perfect sense to her. She sat back in her seat and awaited his lecture. The lecture opposite of what she was expecting.

"Mogami-kun, I have already assigned Yashiro-kun as your permanent manager." He informed her and she started to protest. He held up his hand. "No objections. Ren's schedule isn't as chaotic as yours and you need the advice from a seasoned agent. Ruto will be helping Ren with crowd control and you need a manager that can help you avoid situations such as this." He held up the photo's that she really wanted to forget that they existed.

She winced and nodded.

"Now... In order to prevent other rumors from surfacing with Fuwa-kun, I suggest that you need to start dating or people are going to start thinking that you and he are an item. There are already whispers in the halls about you two regarding that occurrence that you informed me of that happened at TBM and that "bet". Which, I assure you, you have nothing to worry about or have you forgotten that Ren's name is his stage name?" He smirked. He was not about to allow her to feel restricted in a case such as this.

She rolled her eyes and a feeling of relief washed over her as she thought more on it. She shook her head and giggled. "Sorry Takarada-san, I think I forgot that part. Tsuruga-san did mention one time that was the case."

He nodded in approval. "Very well, I have a few suggestions for your partner if you would like to look over them or I can pick one for you." He told her, holding up a list of young men's names.

She shook her head and quickly snatched the list from him. "No, that's fine. I'll look over the list." She hastily told him as she glanced at the ominous list in her hand.

Ren Tsuruga; Hikaru Ishibashi; Hidehito Kijima; Hiromune Koga; Ichirou Takanawa; Ryouichi Moto, and the list went on to include twenty other known names to her. Not all were A-List celebrities, but they came very close to it. She looked up at him a little puzzled. "Why would you have all of them on a list for me?" She asked a little confused. She hadn't expected any of them. Well, maybe Hikaru-kun and maybe even Kijima-san, but certainly not any of the others or so many of them.

Lory chuckled. "Kyoko-chan, all of these men have expressed interest in you. They want to date you." He explained. "They volunteered themselves for this list when they found out."

"Oh~ They just want to help me protect my reputation. That explains why Tsuruga-san, Koga-san and Hikaru-kun's names are on the list." She really got it wrong.

Lory laughed and shook his head. "No, no Kyoko-chan, they would actually like to date you in earnest. Each of these young men are interested in you romantically."

She furrowed her brow. "That can't be right. Why is Tsuruga-san's name at the top of the list? He has someone else he's interested in."

Lory gave her a confused look. "Really? Hm, he's never mentioned anything like that." He pondered out loud.

She let out a sad sigh and nodded. "He mentioned that he was in love with a girl four years his junior."

Lory sat for a moment, his eyes went wide and laughed. He wiped the tears away and shook his head. "Mogami-kun, you needn't worry about that. I assure you that Ren is completely and 100% unattached. His name on this list is genuine."

She looked at him warily, knowing that Lory was always a trickster. "Does he know his name is on the list?"

He gave her a small suspicious nod. "Of course he does!"

She sighed. "I can't pick." She stated. She wanted to pick Ren and after what Lory had reminded her about the bet, she felt a little more confident about how she felt about Ren, but she didn't want their date to be fake, an assignment or unwilling on Ren's part. She still wasn't sure he had willingly put his name on the list for her. She actually wasn't certain that any of these young, good-looking men did.

"Shall I pick for you?" He asked mischievously.

She shook her head vigorously. "NO! I'll pick!" She lay the list on the table, closed her eyes and circled her finger above the sheet. What better way to do it, than leave it up to fate? Her finger fell upon number 19.

Lory quickly took the sheet from her, before she could open her eyes. "Very good choice Mogami-kun! I will let the young gentleman know as soon as our meeting is over." He smirked.

"Aren't you going to tell me who it is?" She asked worried.

"Don't worry, he is a very nice young man and a very good choice on your part. I think you will be happy with fate's decision. Now, you should hurry or you'll be late for your filming today." He reminded her and watched her scramble to leave for her next appointment.

Lory sat back in his seat and laughed as he watched the doors to his office close. He shook his head and pulled out his phone and dialed. "Ah... Well, she picked and fate decided for her." He laughed at the response. "Who is it?..." He laughed again. "Honestly, do you really think it was fair to have yourself on that list twice?... Technically no... I guess... Well, you weren't exactly the only one to do that." He chuckled. "Well, you better start planning your date with her..." He held the phone away from his ear a little, he hadn't expected that outburst. "I did not!... She closed her eyes and picked at random! I'm offended that you would think such a thing!.. Stop by in the morning so we can rearrange your and her schedules and pick a day... Alright, see you then." He hung up and smirked.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2**_

 _ **What To Do?**_

* * *

After her day had ended and she was finally settled into her futon. Her mind wandered in thought about the meeting that she had with Lory. She groaned a little when she realized that she hadn't read all of the names on that list. The only thing she could remember is seeing her finger cover a name and the number 19. Who on Earth was number 19? She groaned a little. Certainly Sho's name wouldn't be on that list, Takarada-san would have scratched it out immediately after hearing what he had done. So... Who was number 19. She sighed, a little disappointed that it wouldn't be Ren.

On the other side of Tokyo, a young man tossed and turned in his bed, unable to get rid of the butterflies that kept fluttering in his heart. He had a date with Kyoko-chan. He punched his pillow and rolled over. What would they do together and how would she react when she saw him? Lory had told him that her finger had fallen on his name out of fate. He groaned a little. He would have preferred that she not blindly picked, but if fate had a hand in this, maybe it wasn't such a bad thing after all. He really needed to sleep. He rolled over again and closed his eyes. He really needed sleep. There was a lot to do tomorrow, other than planning out his date with her.

* * *

Only when on stage, was she not a tightly coiled bundle of raw nerves. The more she thought about her "blind date", the more nervous she became over it. What if the person she picked was rude like Sho or, didn't like her as much as he thought he did? What if she didn't like him? What if she wasn't his type? What if he wasn't her type? Did she have a type? An image flashed in her mind and she shivered, then shook her head. Why did that person pop up when she thought of types? That image had been popping up more and more lately and it was starting to disturb her, even more than before.

"Kyoko-san! Your scenes are up!" The voice came with a knock on her dressing room door.

"Thank you! I'll be right there." She called back, stood from her seat in front of the makeup mirror, adjusted her clothing and hair and checked her costume for Momiji one last time before leaving.

Yashiro stood from the seat he had taken outside of her dressing room and placed her schedule back in his bag. "Kyoko-chan? Are you okay? You look a little flushed." He asked with concern.

She shook her head. "I'm fine Yashiro-san."

He nodded, not quite believing her. "Alright... Well, you only have two more scenes and then you'll be done with Sacred Lotus for the day. We'll go over the rest of your schedule at lunch." He informed her with a brotherly smile.

She nodded and took her place, leaving him to watch on the sidelines.

An hour and a half later, one would find manager and charge eating their lunch at a quiet little bistro just five minutes away from their next destination.

Kyoko sighed tiredly and groaned a little when she thought about her future blind date.

"Is something bothering you Kyoko-chan?" Yashiro asked as he took a sip from his tea.

She shook her head, then changed her mind about telling him of her meeting with Lory. "Well... I don't know... Remember those photos with... Shotaro?" She spat out the name almost as if it were a swear word and Yashiro nodded. "Takarada-san says I need to start dating in order to get rid of the rumors with him and Tsuruga-san. He made me pick someone from a list of names."

Yashiro looked at her in shock. "Who did you pick?" _Please let it be Ren, please let it be Ren._ He repeated over and over mentally.

She sighed again. "That's the problem. I don't know. I closed my eyes and picked randomly. All I saw from the list was the number 19." She groaned.

He patted her hand as she lightly banged her head on the table out of frustration. "There, there Kyoko-chan, I'll find out what I can for you. That way neither of us is unprepared." He promised, hoping Lory would clue him in.

 _ **~xoxo~**_

"You're an hour late..." Lory groused at the young man sitting in front of him.

"Sorry... I had a lot to do before the meeting and my interview took a little longer than expected." The young man explained.

Lory shook his head. "No, it's okay. Now, let's get down to business." He told him as he began pulling out pamphlets and little brochures. "I know you've been on dates before, but this one is very special. From what I've been told, it's her first and she doesn't really know you. So it will be a blind date situation."

The young man winced a little.

Lory narrowed his eyes at him. "What was that for?"

The young man looked at him sheepishly. "Well... technically that's not true. We have met before." He murmured.

Lory gave him a surprised look. "Do tell." He said with an interested raised brow and the young man explained.

Lory pinched the bridge of his nose, rubbed his forehead and sighed in exasperation. "So careless. You just couldn't resist meeting her, could you?" He laughed.

"Sorry... I couldn't help it!" The young man said in distress.

Lory laughed. "Alright, alright. So you two have already met, but she doesn't know your real name yet. Is that going to be a problem?"

The young man shook his head. "No, if it is... I'll fix that on my own."

Lory nodded proudly. "Yes, that is something that you need to take care of and as quickly as possible. Hopefully it won't interfere with her progress."

The young man furrowed his brow. "I really didn't think about that."

"Well, I don't think that she'll be offended. If anything derails because of it, I will lend my assistance and you have other friends that are willing to help if needed." Lory assured him. "So let's get down to business. We still need to figure out where to go and what reservations you'll need to make. Then there's flowers and candies and a limo and..." and Lory went on and on, exasperating his charge.

* * *

"Moookoooo-ssssaaaannnn! Help me!" Kyoko whined when she saw her friend enter the LoveME room.

Kanae groaned. "Mo! Stop whining and tell me what's wrong with you _**this**_ time." She demanded as she pealed the girl off of her.

Kyoko pouted. "I have to go on a blind date." She groused.

"Have to? Explain." Kanae demanded.

Kyoko sighed and explained the situation and what Lory had required of her.

"So, he wants you to start dating because it will help your image and possibly get rid of Fuwa's harassment?" Kanae clarified.

Kyoko nodded. "And because of the pictures."

Kanae nodded. "Well, I really can't argue with that solution. If you're dating someone, people might actually see that you aren't initiating the contact that Fuwa keeps forcing on you." She held up a hand. "And he would have to explain why he keeps harassing you if he doesn't want people to think he's your boyfriend." Kanae finished.

Kyoko gave her a sour face. "I would never date him. He's a pig and he uses people!"

Kanae sighed. "I know that. Everyone that knows you, knows that, but your fans and his fans don't. This will fix that. So, what's the problem?"

Kyoko moaned in distress. "The problem is, that I picked from a list and I didn't look at the name I picked."

"I thought you said it was a blind date!" Kanae growled. "Not that you didn't know who it was out of your irresponsibility!" She poked her shoulder.

"I'm sorry! Tsuruga-san was on that list and my mind just went blank with all of those names when Takarada-san told me all of them volunteered to be on it!" Kyoko howled in tears. "Please, you have to help me! I've never been on a date before and I don't know what to do!"

Kanae groaned. "Alright, alright... I'll help you, but you had better listen and pay close attention! Got it?" Kanae told her tersely.

Kyoko nodded in agreement.

"Good. We'll need to go over clothes, makeup, perfume and how to act. You can't be spazzing out like you do every time Tsuruga-san is mentioned. Be ready, we'll go to your place tonight so I can see what we have to work with." Kanae commanded.

Kyoko smiled brightly and Kanae braced herself for what was to come. Kanae winced. "A sleep-over?" Kyoko whispered with glittering eyes.

Kanae groaned. "Yesss..." She sighed out. "A sleep-over... I guess." and she was nearly knocked flat on the floor with Kyoko's leaping hug.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter 3**_

 _ **T -10 Days & Counting**_

* * *

"Mo! You're an actress for pity's sake. How is it that you don't have a decent wardrobe? Well, except for what's in this black suitcase." She commented looking through the clothing Kyoko had been given as Setsuka Heel. Kanae sighed. "Well, we're going to need to do something about this. Sure you have something to wear to a rock concert and maybe a night on the town... Hmm..." She pondered as she pulled a sleek black, silk, slip-dress, with a long slit up the left side. She thrust it at Kyoko along with a pair of black thong panties. "Put this on." She commanded and Kyoko blushed.

"What about a bra?" Kyoko worried her lip.

"You're young, you don't need one. Gravity hasn't taken its due yet." Kanae commented nonchalantly as she continued to browse Kyoko's closet.

Kyoko sighed and took the offending garments and did as told. She didn't want to question Moko-san. She had always been helpful and she didn't want to seem ungrateful. She shivered as soon as she felt the soft, cool silk slide over her body. She blushed when she saw her hardened nipples in the mirror, beneath the black silk. "Moko-san... I feel like I'm wearing a nightgown." Kyoko complained.

"Stop complaining and put these on." She told her, handing her the black satin, platform pumps behind the changing screen.

Kyoko sighed in resignation. "Okay..." She slipped them on and stepped out.

Kanae stared at her blankly, in shock. "MO! I really despise you right now. How could you have a body like that with the way you eat?!" Kanae exclaimed as she looked up and down while circling her like a wolf does an injured deer. "Where did you get all those freaking curves?! And your boobs are perfect! Jeez Kyoko, you don't even need a bra!"

Kyoko was now blushing furiously and seriously, for the first time in her entire life, felt like a piece of meat under inspection. "M-Moko-s-sannnn, don't say things like that! It's embarrassing." Kyoko stood in front of the mirror and did a turn, trying to see what Kanae was seeing. "I just don't see it."

Kanae groaned and grabbed her shoulders then turned her toward the mirror. "What is it going to take to convince you? Hmmm... Hold on, I have an idea. Close your eyes." She adjusted Kyoko's pose. "Stand like this. Don't open your eyes!" She posed her a little more and slipped the dress off of Kyoko, causing her to squeak in surprise. "Chill out, we're both girls here! MO! Keep your eyes shut!" She commanded and pulled out her phone after she had Kyoko posed then took several photos, alternating with her full body and head and full body without showing her head, so that a comparison could be made and Kyoko couldn't say that they weren't of her.

"C-Can I put something on n-now Moko-san? I'm not very comfortable like this." Kyoko complained with a shiver.

Kanae shoved the light-blue silk robe, that Cain had bought for Setsuka, at her and Kyoko quickly put it on. "Sit..." Kanae commanded and Kyoko was tempted to sit where she was standing, feeling a little intimidated. "No... You know what? I want you to gather all of your clothes together and separate the ones that are like this." She pointed at Natsu's wardrobe and Setsuka's wardrobe. "Then I want you to put all of your makeup together, so we can see what you have and after that, I want to see what shoes you have..." Kanae looked up at her from her photo editing app on her phone at Kyoko. "Well? Get busy. We have a lot of work to do!"

Kyoko groaned and began, not really knowing what her best friend was doing, but hoping that somehow it would help in the end.

What Kanae was actually doing, was cleaning up the background on two of the photos, navigating to a the website that sold the undies Kyoko had been wearing for a comparison. She groaned jealously, Kyoko's body was definitely better than the photo-enhanced model's. She could see her muscle-tone and her perfectly smooth, unblemished porcelain skin. Needless to say, the green-eyed monster was clawing to get out.

Kanae stood up, grabbed Kyoko and sat her down. "Now, I want you to look at this photo." She shoved the photo of the model in the same style of panties, but in a different color, in front of Kyoko.

"Moko-san, I don't see the point in all of this. Why are we looking at pictures like this?" Kyoko groused.

"Shut!... Now look at this one." She pulled up one of the headless photos of Kyoko in the same stringy thong.

"So? It's a different model with the same panties I'm wearing. Is there a point to all of this Moko-san? I already know I can't compare to women like that." She complained irritably.

Kanae giggled and pulled up the identical photo with the room in the background and then the one that showed Kyoko's face. "That's you fool. The model with the better body, is you!"

Kyoko's mouth hung agape. "B-But..." Her fingers ran over the screen. "H-How?" She sputtered. "When did that happen?" She breathed out in wonder. "That can't be me..." She looked up at Kanae.

Kanae smiled softly, no longer feeling the jealousy. She now wanted to kill the person that had beat down Kyoko's self-image so low. She was beautiful and she deserved to know it. "Kyoko, you've been that way for awhile now. I don't know who made you think you aren't beautiful, but do you actually think that I would have a rival that was anything other than stunning?" Kanae gave her a tight hug when she saw Kyoko start to sob. "You've always been beautiful... Now it's time for you to be proud of it and show it, and I'm going to help you do that... starting tonight."

"T-Thank you, Moko-san." She sniffled as she scrubbed the tears from her cheeks with her sleeve.

Kanae smirked. "No problem, you dope. Now, let's go through this mess and find something appropriate for a rival of your caliber and knock the socks off of your blind date." She told her as she pulled her up and they started going through all of Kyoko's clothes.

* * *

He smiled brightly as he penned the details for the reservation at the chosen restaurant and safely stored the ballet tickets in their envelope, then put everything into his nightstand drawer. "Perfect. I think she'll love it." He smirked before turning off his light and settling in for the night. In a little over one week, on a Saturday, she would be joining him for dinner and _**Swan Lake**_.

All through the night she danced through his dreams as Princess Odette, without the tragic end. He smiled softly in his sleep. She was so beautiful. It often pained him that she didn't see that herself, that she wasn't proud of her obviously beautiful appearance. He wished so many times that he could convince her that she wasn't as she viewed herself. Well, tomorrow was another day. He had all the time in the world.

* * *

"Mo! Trust me. You will definitely get looks tomorrow like that. If you don't believe me, I'll prove it." Kanae smirked as she looked at her blushing best friend.

"How do you plan on doing that?" Kyoko asked skeptically.

Kanae gave her a mischievous look. "Just trust me. You let me worry about that. I'll go in before you and you just need to walk in like you normally do, but use that strut you showed me. Okay?"

Kyoko nodded and sighed. "Okay..."


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter 4**_

 _ **T -9 Days & Counting**_

* * *

Yukihito Yashiro, exceptional agent, loyal friend and surprisingly enough licensed bodyguard. The perfect man for any occasion, always prepared for nearly everything. However, what he saw this morning, he was not prepared for by any stretch of the imagination.

Last night, after going through Kyoko's wardrobe, Kanae had helped her _"re-purpose"_ and _redesign_ her entire selection of everyday attire. What she was wearing at the moment was a pair of jeans they had altered with lace inserts from the hem to the waist and tightened them to fit more snuggly, with a pair of cute ankle boots that she still had from her time as Setsuka. They had taken one of her old, oversized t-shirts and made slashes and cuts in strategic places, that showed her beautiful shoulders _(minus bra-straps)_. The back was a series of strips that had been re-tied to tastefully show her beautiful back and on the front, a lace heart-shaped insert to show her cleavage _(no bra in sight)_. He felt like he was going to burn in hell for thinking about that. Her makeup was light, but tastefully done to make her best features stand out, her eyes and lips. Her hair, that had been lengthened with extensions for Momiji, had been swept over and to the side, down the front of her left shoulder.

She looked dazzling, amazing and Yukihito's mouth went dry. What had happened to make this change? Did she have an interview or, audition he didn't know about? Then he realized... His day was going to get 2,000% more difficult.

"Good morning Yashiro-san!" She chirped brightly as she and Kanae entered the backseat.

Yashiro cleared his throat and missed the mischievous look Kanae gave Kyoko. "You look very nice today, Kyoko-chan. What's the occasion?"

She glanced at Kanae and blushed a little. "Nothing special. Just decided it was time for a little change." She said shyly.

He and Kanae nodded. "Well, you look very nice today Kyoko-chan." He smiled and missed the tiny, secretive, high-five Kanae gave her.

* * *

Kanae smirked as she secretly recorded the reactions with her smart-phone. She couldn't have gotten a better response if she had actually set it up. Faces of men and women ranged from interested glances hidden in a casual turn, to the more obvious. There was moments of silence when she passed and the occasional blush and looks of female jealousy.

Kanae was thanking her lucky stars that she had reminded Kyoko to carry herself with the modeling walk she had learned, that Kanae had no idea how she knew. It was the perfect topper for it though, almost like putting a cherry on top of a sundae. Of course, it was actually more like adding the cherry, chocolate sauce, and many other things that weren't really needed. Her look alone would have knocked more than half these men dead from heart failure. She chuckled at that thought.

Thankfully she had been planning this for awhile. She had called off for a couple of her jobs for this today. To her, this was very important and someone needed to do it. She had been upset for quite some time that no one else had taken the time to help her like this. It actually angered her that Takarada-san had allowed it to go on for so long. Well, today would be the first day of the new Kyoko and the end of the self-conscious little mouse that hid under frumpy clothing, without makeup.

She didn't expect her to change her personality or anything that drastic. She just wanted her to see herself as everyone else did. _Well, well... What do we have here?_ She thought as the new guy walked up to Kyoko. _Very forward. Looks like he likes what he sees. Hmm..._ She continued to film as the "new guy", Taira Murasame, walked up to Kyoko and started a conversation with her. _Time to step in, don't want her drowning on the first day._ Kanae smirked and pocketed her phone.

"I'm really a big fan of yours, Kyoko-san. It's the reason why I finally decided to go with LME when Takarada-san asked me." He admitted sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Kyoko blushed. "Well, thank you Murasame-san. Welcome to LME. I'm looking forward to working with you." She told him sweetly, deciding to cast aside her knowledge of how he behaved on the set of Tragic Marker.

"If you're free sometime... Maybe we could get together?" He offered.

"Kyoko! Mo! You only have about 30 minutes before you have to be on set. I think Yashiro-san might be looking for you." Kanae interrupted and grabbed her friend's hand to drag her off before she got herself in too deep.

Murasame sighed in disappointment as he watched the raven-haired goddesses walk away from him. "Well, maybe next time." He grumbled at his lost chance, before walking off to the elevators for his meeting with Matsushima-san, the head of the acting department.

* * *

Lory was ecstatic as he watched the footage for the morning's security cameras in the lobby. His LoveME #2 was obviously helping to instill confidence in his LoveME #1. _Why didn't I think of something like this? I wonder how she did it._ He wrote a note to remind himself to ask her later. Maybe it would help others in Kyoko's situation. _Oh ho... It looks like there may be more competition for Mogami-kun's heart._ He smiled mischievously as he watched his newest acquisition approach LoveME #1. He nodded in approval as he watched Kanae sweep her away from the young man and take her to Yashiro-kun's office, without protest.

"Ruto, I need you to keep an eye on Kotonami-san and Mogami-kun today. Take the camera with you and stay out of sight. I would like you to document their activities today. I think they are very close to graduating." Lory told him.

Ruto nodded and left for a day of surveillance and Lory pulled out a stack of offers that had recently come in for his two girls. Hopefully, nothing would stall this progress. It had come pretty close to happening when Ren had that scandal with that older model the night of Kyoko's audition for Sacred Lotus. Fortunately, it had been cleared up by the bartender at the lounge and Kijima-kun. Lory shook his head at the thought. _It was definitely a hard lesson for Ren to learn about women._ Lory thought that he would know that they weren't as innocent as he believed, especially with all of the crazy aggressive fans he had. _Can never let your guard down. Not with Mogami-kun's heart at stake._ He shook his head and wanted to kick himself for ever showing Ren those particularly distracting photos, now that he knew the truth behind them.

 _Hopefully Yashiro-kun will be enough to keep that boy at bay, after what she told me and I found out._ He shook his head at the security photos, footage and witness statements he had collected in such a short time. The instance that irritated him the most was that the boy had hit her and then had her evicted as a dangerous fan with his own manager there. No, no that wasn't it. It was actually the instance where she had been kidnapped from school grounds, handcuffed and physically restrained at the television station, the same day by the young man. _Thank you security cameras._ Lory smirked as he read over the document in front of him, signed a letter and stapled it to the document, then placed everything neatly in a large manila envelope.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter 5**_

 _ **T -8.25 Days & Counting**_

* * *

She smiled brightly as she looked at the girl in that bathroom mirror that was brushing her teeth, with her face covered in facial cream cleanser. Had Kanae not recorded it and shown her, she would have never believed it. She remembered her morning and giggled at how Murasame-san was falling all over himself because of her, in the video. Well, it was his reaction and the similar reactions of several males she had met during the day, even Koga-san. They were all so obvious. How on Earth did she miss things like this? She shook her head at the thought and giggled again.

She finished with her new nightly beauty routine and planned her next day's outfit, like Kanae had instructed. She wanted to be a little bolder, but not too bold. She examined the spandex skirt closely, not sure she was brave enough to wear something that form-fitting yet. _OH! I know._ She smiled widely and pulled out the large, black, cotton shawl she had crocheted. She still hadn't found a use for it yet, but maybe it would work.

She slipped into the very short, black skirt and wrapped the shawl around her waist and tied it. She made a turn in the mirror, it looked great! She paired it with a tan tank-top that she and Kanae had turned into a long halter-top and a pair of black, heeled sandals that wrapped around her legs with ribbon and tied with a bow. She decided that she would accessorize with a couple of bangles and a tan ribbon for her braid tomorrow. She laid everything out neatly, prepared her homework to drop off and went to bed with a smile.

* * *

That night, several young men couldn't stop thinking of the beautiful goddess that they had encountered that day. One Taira Murasame, was trying to devise a way to spend more time getting to know his favorite actress and possibly get her phone number to set up a date with her. He had asked around and apparently she was very single, but there was only one problem with that. She also had several other men interested in her and quite a few of them were A-Listers. Of course he had expected something like that. She was "The Kyouko" and she was even more beautiful in person. He was stunned and amazed with her sweet personality and it made him want to get to know her even more.

In another apartment, the young man from the previous night tossed and turned because he did not receive his daily dose of his favorite _"immortal fairy"_ that day. He wasn't sure if he could last long without seeing her at least once a day. Well, he knew he could. He didn't want to, but he could. It just wouldn't be as pleasant for him without her. Needless to say, he did toss and turn during the night. He slept, but it wasn't really as peaceful as he had wished for.

From the basement mail-room in a tall office building, just a short distance from our heroine and her ardent admirers, a large manila envelop marked LME was placed on a cart and delivered to the very top floor and placed on a desk, just outside of a large set of mahogany doors, to be promptly delivered to the recipient first thing in the morning and opened for examination.

In a large home, on the outskirts of Tokyo sat a very eccentric man, dressed as an 18th Century French Noble, viewing the footage collected by his trusty sidekick and compiled for his viewing pleasure. He laughed, he sympathized, he cried tears of joy and he munched on his popcorn as he watched 8 hours of the torture of several love-struck males as they pined over the goddess of LME behind her back.

He transferred the video footage to his computer and compressed it into a smaller file and e-mailed it to a very good friend along with photos of every change she had gone through: elegant heiress, Curara school-girl, avenging fallen angel, scarred and embittered villain, stunningly beautiful bully, aloof fashionista, shy interview beauty, jealous and neglected admirer and finally a confident goddess that had strutted in and stunned every male in her path that morning.

The only words he had for his friend were: I need a title for her. Any ideas D? Moments later his phone rang and he heart laughter on the other end.

" _Lory, you're kidding right? Is this really Kyoko-chan?"_ The male on the line asked.

Lory smiled and you could here it in his voice. "It is indeed."

" _She was all of them? Are you sure?"_ He asked for clarification.

"Yes, she was and of course I'm sure. Well? You have any ideas?" Lory pressed.

The man sighed happily. _"You are aware of what you've found, aren't you?"_

"Well, she is quite a gem. A perfect diamond being polished." Lory bragged.

D laughed. _"No, you my friend have discovered an immortal butterfly, a fairy."_

Lory chuckled. "You my friend are a genius! Do you know what her reaction would be if she heard you say that? She loves things like that so much, I had to talk her out of using _Princess Cindy_ as a stage name."

" _Wow, still that sweet. I didn't realize when I met her last. Don't let them ruin her Lory or you'll deeply regret it."_ He warned.

Lory nodded into the phone. "I'm working on that right now. You needn't worry about it."

They continued speaking for a bit longer and ended the call after about 45 minutes.

Back across Tokyo, a young arrogant man was sitting in his apartment, fretting over why his calls wouldn't go through to a stupid, love-sick, plain, boring, woman with no sex-appeal, yet again. It had been two weeks since he had contacted her last and the desire to hear her irritated voice was crawling around under his skin like an army of ants. No, he did not love her! He just wanted to keep track of her. He was not worried about her safety. He just wanted to make sure she wasn't in some kind of trouble that would cause her harm. He was not angry that he couldn't talk to her. He was just irritated that she had changed her phone number again and he couldn't speak to her at his convenience.

He tossed and turned one more time. There was no way he was going to be rested for his recording session and interviews tomorrow. He threw the sheets from his body and trekked to the kitchen to make a cup of herbal tea. It was relaxing for his mind and nerves, and good for his throat. He settled in on the sofa and flipped on the TV, surfing to find some good late-night television to watch, finally settling on a re-run of BoxR. He smiled. That bully Natsu, was a goddess; although, she was a little like one of the girls that used to pick on Kyoko when they were kids, but she was still pretty hot. She had perfect legs that went on for miles and he did appreciate a nice ass once in awhile. Her tits were okay. Not what he usually went for, but like he thought before, the rest of her perfect body made up for it. He smirked. _Maybe I should ask her out._ That was his last thought as he dozed off before the credits scrolled and the infomercials began.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Chapter 6**_

 _ **T -8 Days & Counting**_

* * *

The woman groaned as she opened the large, ominous envelope on her desk and poured out the contents: A small stack of stapled papers, a letter, and a DVD. She sighed in distress, hoping it wasn't what she thought it was, the prelude to a potential scandal involving a young man that had been warned several times. Well, it had been several months since the last, but she couldn't figure out why she had this particular document on her desk now instead of back in April. She quickly discovered why when she booted up her computer and inserted the disk. She groaned and picked up the phone.

"You need to bring your charge and yourself to my office as soon as possible... Yes, you may come after the interviews, but it will have to be today. Something like this cannot wait any longer than that... No, it is not to be discussed over the phone... Do not fail to see me today or, it will mean your job... Thank you... I will see you then." She hung up and sighed. Why did the young ones always let fame go to their heads like that? She pulled out his contract and a highlighting pen. She began marking the important parts while shaking her head. This one needed to be reminded that he was not above everyone else. He needed to be reminded that idols and celebrities were held at a different, more strict standard than the general public.

* * *

Was it possible for one's heart to speed up and stop at the same time? He would definitely say yes, if asked after seeing his goddess this morning. She looked and smelled amazing. Every time she smiled, he almost had to look away, it was almost blinding. He felt like he was floating on a cloud and his skull was packed with cotton balls when he heard her sweet voice. It was like that most of the time, but with her new wardrobe choice today, the effect was a million times more intense. He often wondered if she knew that she had that effect on him.

"Good morning. How are you doing today?" She smiled, almost blinding him again.

"I'm doing well, and you?" He smiled, hiding the fact that he could barely breath, ignoring the pounding of his heart.

"I'm feeling very good today. I have my photo-shoot for _**Cygne Blanc**_ today. I just love when Tanaka-san does my makeup." She chirped sweetly.

He chuckled. "You look very nice today." He almost wanted to kick himself for letting that one slip, but it was true.

She looked up at him a little surprised and he expected a deflection, but... "Thank you very much. That was sweet of you to say."

His mind blanked. He had not expected _**that**_ response. _Anything and everything, but_ _ **that**_ _response._ _Perhaps I should go a little further._

"Oh! Sorry, if I don't leave now, I'm going to be late! See you later." She called to him and waved as she walked away.

He groaned. _I let her get away before I could invite her to lunch._ He sighed. _Perhaps I could catch up with her later and invite her then._

* * *

"You are not to go anywhere near her. This restraining order states that you are not to come within 90 meters of Kyouko or, you will be arrested for stalking. If you have work in the same building, no less than 6 meters. If you two have an interview together, you will keep your comments generic. If you are asked about her, you will have no comments. If you decide to seek her out or if you decide to harass her again, your employment will be terminated." She turned to the manager. "You should have prevented this. That is what being a manager is about. Consider yourself warned." She pointed to a specific security footage and played it again, causing the manager to wince. "This should have never happened and it will not be tolerated again. If I find any more of this, both your contracts will be terminated." She slapped their contracts on her desk before them. "You both initialed this here and here, which indicates to me that it was read. Your behavior however, indicates to me that you either didn't or, you think you are exempt. _**You. are. not.**_ " She finished. "Do you understand what I am telling you both?"

The pair nodded. "Yes ma'am. I assure you it will not happen again." The female of the pair promised her boss.

She eyed the pair warily. "Good, I hope you don't make me regret the decision not to terminate you immediately. You're dismissed." She watched the pair hastily exit and sighed as she pulled out her migraine remedy and poured a glass of water. Why did talents always think they were above the rules?

* * *

Kanae almost choked with laughter when she witnessed the little scene between Kyoko and the male. Visions of some wildlife show she had seen as a kid came to mind. The one where the male dances around the female to catch her attention and present her with some kind of impressive display. If she didn't think it was so pathetic, she definitely would have thought it was the cutest thing on the planet. She shook her head and decided not to bail her friend out on this one. She seemed to be doing perfectly fine on her own. She hadn't floundered once and it seemed as though Kyoko was finally catching on.

Kanae wasn't sure if she should feel a sense of pride for helping her friend realize part of her potential or, a sense of horror for strengthening her friend/rival and possibly creating a monster.

Kanae heard a deep male chuckle behind her, where she was hiding. She froze at the voice and paled a little. This was something that she had wanted to keep to herself. She didn't want anyone to find out she had helped Kyoko, especially not this man.

"Kotonami-san..." He smiled jovially. "I would like to speak to you in my office."

She looked up at him and a shiver went down her back. It wasn't an angry smile and he seemed pretty happy about what was going on between the pair. She sighed, nodded and followed him, looking back to her friend and hoping that Kyoko wouldn't need a bail-out.

"No worries, Kotonami-san. She'll be safe. I have Ruto keeping an eye on her. If she needs assistance, he has the order to remind her of an appointment." He eased her fears.

Kanae nodded and sighed. "Thank you. She doesn't realize the effect she has."

He nodded as they walked to the elevators. "I know, but she is learning... Thanks to you. Which is what I would like to speak to you about." He smiled proudly and it confused Kanae. He shook his head. "You needn't worry. I just needed to speak to you about a movie offer that came in, that requires a talent such as you."

One hour later, Kanae emerged from Lory's office in a daze. She had been offered the lead in a movie. The lead! Did that mean it was her debut? Was she close to graduating the LoveME Section? She shook off the thought and tried to not think so much on it. It wouldn't do to get ahead of herself in this. She told herself she was a million years away from such a thing. She would not be dazzled by silly daydreams of graduating the LoveME Section. She still had a clueless best friend to watch over and help. Tomorrow she and Kyoko had the morning off and she decided to invite Kyoko to breakfast. She wanted to get Kyoko's thoughts on everything that was going on and show her the latest videos that she had taken. Not that she had been following her around all day or anything, she did have work on her own, but she wanted to show her what little she did have and point out to her the effects she clearly had on every male she was near. Kyoko was still a little clueless on her direct contact and that needed to be fixed before she got herself into trouble.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Chapter 7**_

 _ **T -7 Days & Counting**_

* * *

It wasn't hot or too terribly cold today. It was one of those brisk autumn days where something feminine and wispy, just wouldn't be enough. Even though it was her third day of _"dressing like the actress you want to be"_ , as Kanae put it, she was starting to get the hang of it. She smiled in satisfaction as she admired Setsuka's leather pants and the light oversized red sweater she had pulled on over a black tank-top. She twisted her hair up loosely and pinned it so that she had little wisps of hair gently falling to her neck and did her makeup. She decided to add a little rose hairpin that Maria-chan had given her months ago for White Day.

She winced a little at the thought. White Day was still something that had bothered her a little. She tried to block it out whenever she saw the gifts she had been given. It still depressed her that the one person she wanted something from had never thought to think of her then and then there was all of the horrible things that had happened not even a month later: Kimiko Morizumi's attack on her and the scandal that Tsuruga-san had with that older woman. Of course Kyoko knew that he was a gentleman and it was very likely that he was telling the truth, when he said that he was only being polite, but one only need to go so far for an _ex-girlfriend_. Kyoko wasn't exactly sure that she really believed him, deep in her heart and sometimes that really hurt. She wondered if he really actually had feelings for that younger girl he had told her about more than a year ago.

She shook off the depressing thoughts. Now was not the time for moping, she had a breakfast appointment with her best friend and Kanae had said she wanted to show her something important. She wanted to talk to her and find out how she had been handling her new image. Moko-san did! Moko-san wanted to spend time with her, find out how she was doing and help her! Kyoko blushed a little and gave a little happy squeal before spritzing on her perfume and gathering her things for the day.

* * *

"Mo! Calm down. I told you not to do that in public." Kanae scolded as she peeled the little goddess off of her. At least that's what it looked like to all around them. Kanae smiled proudly on the inside when she noticed all of the males watching with interest. "Sit down. We've only got a couple of hours." She looked up at the waiter. "Two green teas."

He nodded and glanced at Kyoko, then went to get their drinks before they made their final order.

"So what did you want to show me today, Moko-san?" Kyoko asked a little more excited about yesterday's candid moments than the previous ones shown to her.

Kanae smirked mischievously and scooted to the middle of the circular booth, motioning Kyoko to join her. She navigated to the _"troubled male"_ footage, as she had dubbed her little safari.

Kyoko blushed a little watching him and didn't notice the waiter that had sat down their tea or how Kanae had ordered breakfast for both. She didn't even notice how the waiter had lingered just a little longer than what he needed to or the shooing look that Kanae had given the poor star-struck older teen.

Kyoko looked up at Kanae. "I didn't know _**HE**_ looked at me that way." She said a little uncomfortably.

Kanae laughed. "Mo, you dope... He's been looking at you like that since I met you." Kanae informed her casually as she took a bite of melon.

Kyoko furrowed her brow in thought and looked at the video again then back at Kanae. "He has?"

Kanae nodded with a mouth full of fruit.

"That can't be right." Kyoko looked at the video where she paused it and took a bite of her own fruit dish absentmindedly.

"You better believe it. He's so into you everyone sees it now. He hid it pretty well at first, but this last few months, you'd have to be blind not to see it." Kanae told her casually.

"Hey! I am not blind!" Kyoko protested and Kanae smirked.

"Oh... You were blind alright, but that's why we're here, because you're finally waking up and I refuse to let my best friend drown before she learns how to swim with the big fish." Kanae told the stunned pixie.

"B-But..." Kyoko sputtered.

Kanae shook her head. "No! Don't you say it! No true rival of mine is allowed to say the words you were thinking just now!" Kanae leaned over and pulled out the magazine she had purchased before they had entered the restaurant, then opened it to the page she was looking for. "Here, read this." She shoved it in front of Kyoko.

Kyoko read over the list of starlets that men want to date the most. Kyoko's eyes went wide as her eyes took in the inconceivable, but she deflected it yet again. "Moko-san! You're number 2! Congratulations!"

Kanae groaned and gave Kyoko a light smack on the back of her head. "You idiot!" She pointed to the number 1. "You're on the top of this list! Stop doing that!"

Kyoko's brow furrowed in confusion. "Doing what?"

Kanae sighed. "Look, I know you have a long way to go, but you have to start seeing the truth. Seeing what others see in you. There is a reason you're at the top of this list. It doesn't matter what that ass said about you. He was obviously trying to hurt you and took pleasure from it. He was a bully and what bullies say don't matter, because they are trying to make you feel more insignificant than _**they**_ really are." Kanae sighed again. "Kyoko... Whether you realize it or not, you _**are**_ beautiful. You wouldn't be the star that you are if you weren't and you certainly wouldn't be the object of affection for so many people. As much as I hate to say it, you are breathtaking and you don't even have to try." Kanae pointed to the image on her phone. "All these men can see it and he tries to tell you every time you're around him. He's not the only one either. It's time to wake up Kyoko." Kanae said softly and handed Kyoko a tissue to dab the tears she was now shedding.

"I'm so sorry, Moko-san. It's just so..." Kyoko sniffled.

Kanae nodded. "I know, but now we're going to do something about it. Understand? It's time to let go of the past and walk with your head high and proud, like my beautiful best friend and rival. I'll never make it to the top if I don't have any real competition." Kanae goaded in the end and smiled mischievously.

Kyoko nodded and gave her a teary giggle, then hugged her.

"Pfft, go clean up your face and fix your makeup. You look like a raccoon." She giggled. Kanae shook her head a little sadly as she watched her friend walk to the ladies room. She wanted to lynch the idiots that made her best friend so insecure about her self-image. When she was in school, even the ugliest of girls had at least one person that backed them up. _Why hadn't that asshole's parents at least tried to let her know she was even a little bit cute?_ _His big mouth shouldn't have made that much of an impact on her._ Kanae shook her head. _Well, too late to cry over spilled milk. Just better to just clean up the mess and move on._ She nodded and decided to keep up with her plan of bombarding Kyoko with proof of her beauty until it sunk in.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Chapter 8**_

 _ **T -6.5 Days & Counting**_

* * *

After her breakfast with Kanae, Kyoko's vision had cleared just a little more. It was nice to have someone on her side like that. She then realized that for the past, almost two years, Kanae had been trying to do this for her. It made her heart swell. Actually the thoughts of all of the people that had been trying to do this for her made her heart swell.

Kanae was a true friend. She told her when she was wrong and celebrated with her, all of her successes. She stood by her in the good times and the bad. It was nothing like what she had shared with Sho or, anyone else. Kyoko then began to compare all of the times she had spent with him in her childhood and started to see the stark contrast. She had been his friend, but he was never hers. He had never been there for her, in good times or in bad. He had only used her support and never gave anything back, unlike Kanae. Kanae was there for her when she was worried about taking the idiot's PV. She was there when she was worried about Mio and Natsu. She encouraged her and helped her out with Momiji. Finally, she was helping her see herself the way others saw her and she was helping her build the "new" Kyoko, without asking for anything in return.

Kyoko sighed and smiled at the videos and pictures that Kanae had transferred to her phone, so she could look over them a little more. One in particular. She still couldn't shake the strange feeling she had when the light had hit his hair and profile perfectly, as it had in Karuizawa. _It couldn't be that._ She kept telling herself. _If it were true, why would he not tell me?_ She sat and thought more as she waited for them to call her for her scenes. _If it were true, maybe he had a good reason._

She thought back on when she first started and wanted a name and identity so far from Kyoko Mogami, it bordered on the ridiculous, then she thought back on the nights that he had awakened her in his sleep with his nightmares. Perhaps he had a very painful past he was trying to escape. Maybe one more painful than hers. She then remembered what Corn had told her in Guam about a curse. She furrowed her brow and wondered why that had suddenly popped up. She decided to observe a little more to confirm her suspicions and wait until he decided that he could tell her anything. Until then, she would show him in subtle ways that she was definitely a friend that could be trusted to help him as Kanae had been helping her.

* * *

He stood in the shadows and watched as she came out of her dressing room, finished for the day. He was so stunned by her new look that he almost forgot why he was there. Shoko had told him that they would be in the same building today, in order for him to keep his distance. Not that he would take it that way though. He was using the information to find her and demand she tell him why she had taken a restraining order out on him and his manager.

He was within the six meters from her when he was stopped by a strangely dressed young man. "Fuwa-san, I believe that your order states that you remain at least six meters away from Kyouko-sama. You are now within that range." Ruto informed him politely.

"What the hell do you care?! What goes on between us is nobody's business!" Sho sputtered out in anger as Kyoko stood a distance away with Yashiro in front of her protectively.

"It is my order that you do not approach her." Ruto told him factually.

"I don't care what she told you! I have every right to talk to her! It's important!" Sho was now making a scene and Kyoko just stood there.

She was debating on whether she should believe him or not. He had lied to her so many times before, just to get access, bring her guard down and then slam into her with his nonsense. She saw Ruto look her way as if he were asking if it were okay. She sighed. She looked up at Yashiro then at Ruto and nodded. "I'll talk to him, but only with Yashiro-san and you present, Ruto-san."

Ruto nodded in agreement, sicking close to the boy so that he couldn't get unexpectedly physical.

He was within two meters of her when he started. "I don't see why such a plain, boring woman like you would even need this kind of protection. It's not like you have any looks." He started with the digs.

She sighed. From what Kanae was telling her and all of the compliments she had been getting from various men that she knew and didn't know, she knew that he was just being an ass, yet again. "Get to the point Sho or, I'm leaving right now." She began to turn and he tried to stop her.

"No! I just thought I would remind you of that promise that you made." He smirked.

She narrowed her eyes at him and Yashiro swallowed a little worriedly. It was a look that told him that this boy really needed to get a clue about her or, he was going to end up hurting in one way or, another. "Fuwa-san, I really have no idea what you're talking about." She smiled.

He was a little surprised, but recovered quickly and decided to reveal the promise in front of these people. "Oh? Really? You don't remember how you promised not to fall in love with Tsuruga? Or how you would willingly be my slave for the rest of your life if you did?"

She laughed, stunning all of them. "Kanae is right. You really are stupid. Do you think you're the only entertainer with a stage name, _**Shotaro**_ _Fuwa_?" She gave a little Setsuka giggle and a Natsu smirk. "You are so easy to manipulate when you're jealous."

"What the hell are you talking about? I was never jealous. Why would I be jealous of my own property?" He let slip in anger.

She backed away just a little more, standing a little behind Yashiro and shook her head. "No Fuwa-san... I am _**not**_ your property. I am no one's property, _**especially**_ yours. I have my own life and you never were a part of it. You never wanted to be a part of it and I certainly don't want you as part of it now. You were _**never**_ a friend to me. You are not an enemy. You aren't even enough to be called an distant acquaintance. You are nothing to me and I don't need or, want what you're trying to force into my life. I have real friends now and I don't want _**your**_ kind of _"friendship"_. Goodbye Fuwa-san." She told him as she turned to walk away, pulling a very stunned and very proud Yashiro with her.

Ruto slackened his grip on the boy's shoulder and shook his head. What she had said was true, needed to be said by her, but it was a little harsh and the boy deserved it, from what he had been witnessing. Ruto sighed. "I would suggest that you try to keep your distance from now on, Fuwa-san. I will allow the error this one time; however, I will have to report any further contact in the future." Ruto warned and a stunned Sho absentmindedly nodded in assent.

As he watched the strangely dressed man walk away toward where Kyoko had left, he couldn't help but feel like he had just lost something. It felt like something was missing or, had been taken away from him. He felt tired and for the first time he felt so alone and didn't know why. He wanted to just go home, crawl into bed and stay there until this horrible empty feeling went away.

"Sh-Sho? Are you okay?" Aki Shoko asked as she watched the unnoticed tears stream down her charge's cheeks when she found him.

He nodded as she pulled him into an empty room and hugged him.

"What happened?" She asked with concern.

"I-I think I just lost something very important." He murmured.

Aki pulled him into a hug. "I'm sorry Sho. I'm so sorry." _I guess he saw Kyoko-chan._ She sighed. _I guess the rumors are true._ She had heard the news of Kyoko's new look and how she was possibly dating now; although, she didn't know exactly who the girl was dating. That hadn't gotten out yet. Well, even Kyoko didn't know that yet.


	9. Chapter 9

_**Chapter 9**_

 _ **T -6 Days & Counting**_

* * *

The digging for information started out as a mere curiosity and then turned into a hunch. She had heard on the set of Tragic Marker, more than once, that insipid little rat Manaka, talk about Otou-san more than once in his role of Kyoushirou and Kyoko was curious about his Katsuki Tachibana in Tsukigomori. Well, she somewhat expected to find what she found, so it didn't hit her as hard as it could have. Her eyebrow twitched. _That sneaky dog._

She decided to do a little more digging at home via her phone's internet connection and found even more. "Pfft, a fairy my ass." She grumbled. "Hmph. Steal a kiss from me." Her cute little frown turned into it's familiar mischievous little grin and she shook off the thought. She had been making a lot of connections and observations lately, thanks to Kanae.

"So Corn or, should I call you Kuon?" She pondered as she spoke to the small photo that popped up on her phone's browser. She sighed. "I suppose I can forgive you for hiding from me." She said sadly when she read the old, obscure news articles. _You were very troubled. The pain you must have suffered._ She thought as she read about the _"family friend"_ that passed away in a hit and run and the punishment that the drunk, gang member received for the crime. She sighed sadly and shook her head. "I suppose that could be considered a curse. I can't even imagine what my reaction would have been." _No wonder he said he wasn't allowed to love anyone. He must feel it was his fault. I can't ever let him know what I know now, if that's really him. Yes, I'm sure of it._

She had a lot to think about and then it hit her. _He definitely isn't in love with Niko, that was made very clear months ago. Yashiro-san explained everything to me and that model kissed him like Sho did to me on Valentine's Day, so who is the girl he was talking about?_ _**"I love you, Kyoko."**_ Murmured Cain in her memory. _**"Because I love you, Kyoko-chan."**_ Corn smiled brightly. _M-Me?_ She shook her head and the images of his soft smile flooded her memory. More than a year of those smiles. Almost two years of those heavenly smiles. She blushed brightly.

Then it hit her. All of his loving moments and all of his jealous moments. _Crap... I need to tell Takarada-san to cancel that blind-date! I don't want him to get the wrong idea!_ She quickly picked up her phone and dialed. Her hopes were dashed to the ground when the call was finished. He refused to cancel it and told her that if she skipped out on it she would effectively be ending her career as an actress. Very harsh. How was she supposed to explain all of this to Kuon? She didn't want him to get the wrong idea, but... well... he really didn't know what she now knew so, maybe she could just let the mystery man down politely and they could move on. She decided she would call Kanae in the morning for advice on a gentle way to do that. She wanted no misunderstandings.

* * *

Ren sat in his living room after his meager dinner, studying his new script. He just couldn't shake how strangely Kyoko had been behaving when he spoke to her in the afternoon. She seemed a little more relaxed around him, but slightly evasive. He smirked, maybe it was because of what Lory had told him. He shook his head. He would never be angry at her for something that was out of her control. It wasn't her fault anyway. He understood that the date needed to be done, because of the most recent barrage of photos caused by one of Fuwa's outbursts. He just hoped that it would be the last one. He was relieved that Lory had filed the restraining order on him for stalking her and hoped that he wouldn't be stupid enough to break it.

He shook of the thoughts to grab another glass of tea and refocus on his new script. The schedule for this particular filming was tentative, but he still wanted to be prepared. This one meant a lot to him. He had already reached most of his goals here in Japan, but this one had steadily become his most cherished goal.

 _ **Angel's Kiss**_. It was a feature film about an angel that gave up its immortality to enjoy life with the mortal that it had come to fall in love with. Of course it had its ups and downs, but it was a sound story and it had a happy ending. Lory was going ga-ga over it and practically forced it on him. He really didn't need to. The writers had done a really good job and it wasn't your standard cheesy, chick-flick romance. There would be a little violence, some angst, a bit of action and a ton of romance in the end. It seemed like something worthy of international recognition and it was an original film. So no, he had no problem saying yes to the male lead.

Ren sat back down on his sofa, leaned in comfortably and continued to read the script. Gradually he had an image of his part. It was something that would have been an insurmountable task a year ago, if not for Kyoko. He smiled and shook his head. He was never going to be able to concentrate if his mind kept wandering to her. He chuckled and decided it was time for bed, when he noticed the time.

* * *

Lory laughed and shook his head at the call he had received from Kyoko. _That girl... I guess she's finally waking up._ _She must have realized something. She was very adamant about canceling that date._ There was no way he was going to let her out of this one. He would stake everything he owned on making her go through with this. He felt that it would be life changing for her, but he just couldn't pinpoint why. It's not like she actually knew the young man, personally or socially. He shook away the disturbing thoughts and refocused on what decision Miki should make concerning Kenji.

Tomorrow would mark five more days until the big day. Every day Lory had checked and rechecked the arrangements he had made for his LoveME #1's first date. Initially he had thought to bring in Ten to help her with her wardrobe and makeup, but with the changes that Kotonami-san had helped her with, he decided that she was doing exceptionally well on her own. He could hardly wait to see what she had planned to wear on her date. He hoped that it would surprise and knock the socks off her date. He could hardly wait for those photos and that footage. He had a hunch that all of Japan would be surprised.

"Oh! Why can't I get this stupid thing to work?!" He shouted irritatedly as Kenji got his face slapped and Miki walked away from him, calling him an insensitive lout. Lory groaned and hit reset on the console to start the game over and Ruto chuckled silently in the background.


	10. Chapter 10

_**Chapter 10**_

 _ **T -5 Days & Counting**_

* * *

"Mo! Stop worrying about it! Just go with what we planned. I'm sure Tsuruga-san will understand, he's been in the business long enough to know things like this happen. He won't hold it against you." Kanae sat on the bench in her pink curse next to her friend. "Look, just be friendly. Don't flirt and make it clear from the start, your position on the date. If you're honest, the guy will understand. Takarada-san isn't going to set you up with a jerk." Kanae explained.

Kyoko sighed. "I guess you're right. Sorry, I just panicked a little. I didn't want to make someone feel horrible for going out with me. This is all just so foreign to me... You know? I've never been on a date before. I've never had anyone that actually liked me enough to ask me out."

Kanae snorted derisively. "Yeah..."

Kyoko groaned. "Alright... I've never noticed it when they **_did_**... Okay?... I know that they were now. I think I even remember some of the guys back in Kyoto asking me out. The only difference then, was that Fuwa-san kept chasing them away. I see that now. It's just all a little much to absorb and I'm having a little bit of a hard time." She sighed in defeat.

Kanae nudged her shoulder with her own. "That's why I'm here, Kyoko. I'm here to help you. That's what friends do. I may not be the greatest friend, but I'll do what I can to help you clear things up in that messed up head of yours."

Kyoko pulled her into a tight hug and Kanae yelped a little at the surprise. "Thank you so much, Moko-san! I don't know what I would do without you."

 _You'd probably still be focusing on that stupid jerk and wallowing in the lies he created._ Kanae thought as she smiled and hugged her friend in return.

* * *

Yashiro smirked as he observed his male charge's eyes following his female charge. Kyoko-chan had changed quite a bit in the time they had known her and her most recent changes were almost like a bomb dropped in the lobby of LME. Less than a week ago, the caterpillar became a butterfly. He gave Ren an evil grin and one could almost see his little devil-chibi, smiling up at the large beast.

"Hmm, told you so." He chirped happily.

Ren looked at him confused. "What is that Yukihito?"

"I told you that girls in the entertainment industry mature quickly, but you didn't want to listen. Now Kyoko-chan has a date next Saturday with someone that Takarada-san set her up with." He turned to him. "You really need to make your move on her, before that unknown young man captures her heart with sweet words, flowers and candy."

Ren scoffed at him. "She's safe. She's got Kotonami-san on her side. She would never fall for something like that." He told him in a calm, confident voice.

Yashiro growled a little. "No... of course she won't be easy to win over, but once the young man gets a little taste, do you really think he will stop at that? They'll have their date, whatever that may entail. He'll see how wonderful she is and then suddenly she'll have a new friend in her life. Slowly that friend will start to do little, sweet things for her and she will notice. Then that _"friend"_ will turn into something more solid and long-lasting. Then _poor Ren_ will be stuck on the sidelines to watch her walk down the aisle in that beautiful white dress. After that, you will be nothing more than _"Uncle Ren"_ to all of the little baby Kyoko's in her future. Is _**that**_ what you want to happen?!" Yashiro finished exasperated.

Ren shocked him by giving him a genuine smile. He laughed and shook his head. "Yukihito, that will _**never**_ happen." He walked away to talk to Kyoko, leaving Yashiro stunned and irritated at his response.

* * *

Contrary to popular belief, it is a scientific fact, through recent studies, that men are far more emotional than women, but just better at hiding it. This is why this particular male was, in his mind's eye, dancing, playing an air guitar, doing back-flips that turned into a victory dance that would be more appropriate for a field goal on a football field and singing "I am the champion.", yet he was perfectly calm on the outside.

He had successfully convinced her to have lunch with him, without the guise of her being concerned for his health. She was there with him of her own free will and all he had to do was ask. Which, she accepted with another of her gorgeously blinding smiles. He was far above the mere mortal Cloud 9. He suspected that it could possibly be classified as maybe Cloud 999,000? With that one beautiful smile and her acceptance, she had been able to wash away anything that would closely resemble a bad day and send him straight to the highest level of heaven possible and still be living, and leave his knees feeling like they were made of jelly. Was he still alive or, was this just a dream he was trapped in while he was in a coma, because he got hit by a car crossing the street? He covertly pinched his thigh under the table and decided that he was indeed still alive. He picked up his fork and began eating. He didn't want to ruin their lunch-date with her having to scold him for not eating.

During that hour, they discussed work, personal events and she had even asked him for advice on her current situation. He handled it gracefully, without jealousy. Yashiro would have been proud. She apologized and he told her that it was something that occurred frequently in the entertainment business, that she shouldn't feel so bad about it and that he wasn't offended in any way. There was a moment when she had gone silent and pondered something, but she was very prone to those moments, so he dismissed it as he always did.

* * *

She had plenty of time to get over her anger for being deceived by him, days ago so... this is why she was sitting on her futon, watching the prior day's videos that Kanae had e-mailed her again and smiling. _How did Moko-san even do that?_ She was really excited to discover, during lunch, the little fact that Ren actually was wearing color contacts. She couldn't help but laugh at herself for dismissing the obvious fact before. It had crossed her mind that he wore contact lenses before, but she just shrugged it off, thinking it had been because they were prescription lenses. However, now that she put more thought into it, she realized that during the time of the Heel Siblings, he had changed in and out of them without any problem. He had actually been using the contacts that the effects department had issued him. _Why didn't I realize that before?_ She rolled her eyes at her own, former, blindness and laughed.

She was extremely relieved that he had told her he wasn't upset with her for the blind-date she had coming up. He had actually given her the same advice as Moko-san; although, he wasn't as abrasive as she always was. Actually, she probably wouldn't have listened so intently to said advice if Kanae hadn't been that way. Sometimes he was just too gentle with her and she could guess she knew why now.

A new cloud of butterflies surged through her once again and she laughed. This was definitely different from anything she had ever experienced. Now that she knew the difference, she didn't think she would ever mistake anything else for it... _**ever**_. That feeling before was nothing compared to this. She blushed at that thought and all of the other more racy thoughts that accompanied it. She remembered Corn's kiss in Guam and couldn't keep her mind from going just a tiny step further. Yes, she definitely needed to politely turn down her blind-date and right her path to the man that she was definitely in love with.


	11. Chapter 11

_**Chapter 11**_

 _ **T -4 Days & Counting**_

* * *

Haaahhh, she finally had a day to relax, decompress and unwind. She had to work over the weekend like a dog and now it was her day off. She spent the morning at school. Turned in all of her work and picked up her final assignments before her tests next month. She was able to have tea with Maria. Chiori had stopped in and they had the chance to catch up. Finally, she was able to have the rest of the afternoon with Kanae. Which would be spent as a spa day.

"Ahhhh, remind me to thank Takarada-san for this." She moaned in pleasure as her masseuse kneaded out the knots that were in her back.

Kyoko sighed in contentment. "I think I'll ask them where they get their candles before we leave. My headache is finally gone."

"So, did you talk to Ren?" Kanae asked relaxed, using his given name so that no one would be aware of who they were discussing.

Kyoko gave a little cough. "Yeah..." She blushed a little.

"So?... How did he take it?" Kanae prodded.

Kyoko smiled softly. "You were right. He told me the same thing you did."

"And?..." Kanae pressed a little more.

Kyoko sighed. "You were right about everything! Okay? I give up. Just... just help me not screw it up." Kyoko groaned.

Kanae laughed. "What? Did he tell you himself?" Not expecting an answer.

Kyoko rolled over for the masseuse so she could massage her legs, arms and feet properly. "Technically, he's already told me twice."

Kanae sprung up, only to be pushed back down. "Ah, Mo! What do you mean he already told you? When?"

"Well... You remember that special assignment that Takarada-san gave us in the Spring?" Kyoko said sheepishly.

"Yes?..." Kanae asked cautiously.

"Well... he actually told me he loved me twice during that time... but I kind of thought, at the time, he didn't mean it." She groaned.

"What the heck, Kyoko? Why would he say something like that and not mean it?" Kanae scolded.

Kyoko groaned. "I don't know... I was being stupid then. I know he meant it _**now**_. It's just, I thought he was in character when he said it and just blew it off." Kyoko explained in a whine.

"So it was for a script?" Kanae tried to clarify.

"No... it was unscripted." Kyoko told her.

They were both completely relaxed and led to a wonderful sauna. "So, am I allowed to know about your Dangerous Mission? Now that I know it involved Ren?"

Kyoko shook her head. "No... I had to sign an NDA. I can tell you in a few months though, but not now."

Kanae understood. It was most likely for a movie and Kyoko couldn't say anything about it. "I get it." She leaned back on the bench and enjoyed the warmth and the steam. "So, what do you plan on doing about this?"

Kyoko laid down on the opposite bench and covered her eyes with her forearm, then sighed. "I really don't know what I'm going to do about this. I know that I don't want to mislead my date on Saturday, so I am going to tell him I'm not interested. I guess I'll keep going out with Ren until something happens." She told her.

"Mo, why don't you just tell him how you feel and get it over with?" Kanae told her in exasperation.

Kyoko peeked from behind her arm. "Moko-san, I will never be the one to do that again. I don't want to make the same mistakes I made before by pouring my heart out and having it thrown back at me. Yes, I do _love_ him, but I'm not going to throw myself at him. I just can't do that again. Can't leave myself vulnerable like that again. It's just asking to be taken advantage of." She explained.

Kanae sighed. "I guess I can understand what you mean. However, I wouldn't make him wait too long. A person can only go so long without a positive response, before they just give up and decide to move on." Kanae warned.

"We went to lunch together yesterday..." Kyoko told her as she glanced at her from under her forearm.

"So you said." Kanae said dryly with her head back and eyes still closed.

"Um... I-I _flirted_ with him." Kyoko told her nervously.

Kanae's eyes popped open and she sat up. " _ **Y-You**_ _flirted_ with him?

Kyoko sat up and blushed, remembering the light touches and extra smiles she afforded him and nodded. "Just like you suggested."

Kanae laughed. "Well? What happened?"

Kyoko blushed again. "Um... He did the same and he called me this morning to find out how my morning was. He wanted to know if we can have dinner together."

"And?" Kanae asked.

"I told him yes. We're having dinner together at seven." Kyoko told her.

Kanae jumped up and grabbed Kyoko's hand, pulling her to the private salon. "We need to get you ready!"

* * *

She was dressed as casually as she had allowed herself lately, but she still took his breath away. He still would attest to the fact that it was indeed possible for one's heart to race and stop at the same time. It was a warm night so she had decided to wear a short, form-fitting, light-blue, halter-dress, with a light, contrasting shawl and grey peep-toed pumps with a bow on top. She had kept her makeup light, but her eyes stood out and he almost couldn't look away. Her hair was swept up in a twist with little tendrils, lightly brushing her neck. The same neck that he fought every moment he was with her, not to firmly attach his mouth to and enjoy the taste.

"You look very nice this evening, Mogami-san." He smiled brightly as he opened the car door and helped her in.

She blushed a little and smiled. "Thank you Tsuruga-san..." She looked up at him before he closed the car door. "You can call me Kyoko." She murmured, but he definitely heard it.

He felt his heart stop again and nodded. "And you can call me Ren." He told her before he shut her door gently and rushed to enter the car on his side to take her to their dinner destination.

Neither of the pair mentioned that their dinner was, what it was. It was a date and they both knew it. It felt like a date. It had the atmosphere of a date. They were doing date things, like talking, eating, laughing and yes, flirting.

It took everything he had not to confess everything to her. Tell her he was her _"fairy"_ Corn, that he was Kuon Hizuri, why he had denied his identity and that he loved her more than life itself, but he could wait. They both had a little time. He would tell her he loved her soon, but for now he was just going to enjoy this wonderful feeling that was washing over him because of her.

She had the best time. She never dreamed that she would feel so completely relaxed around him, before they started actually talking, sharing anecdotes and flirting. It came so naturally, like they had been close to each other for years. Well, technically they did know each other for years. She glanced up at him with a small smile as she nibbled on her meal. They both giggled like teen-agers when their eyes met.

By the end of the evening when he had finally brought her home, they decided to take a short stroll in the park nearby and just prolong the relaxing, lovely evening that they had. When they finally came to the end of the evening, they were hand in hand standing before the back entrance of the Darumaya.

"I had a really nice time tonight." She stood before him blushing.

"I did too. Thank you for having dinner with me tonight. We should do this again soon." He smiled softly at her.

She blushed a little more brightly and nodded. "I would like that. Umm..." She quickly pulled him down and kissed his cheek then disappeared behind the door. "Thank you!"

She left him standing in the alley, stunned, frozen, happy and bewildered at what had just happened. _Did she actually kiss..._ _ **me**_ _?_ His cheek still tingled from the feeling as his fingers covered the little smudge of lipstick that he now swore not to wash... _**ever... again**_...


	12. Chapter 12

_**Chapter 12**_

 _ **T -3 Days & Counting**_

* * *

It was now Wednesday and the day after her little impromptu date with Ren. She still had little butterflies carrying her from one destination to the next. She could have never guessed that Ren was actually in the same state as she was and Yashiro didn't know what to make of the entire situation. He expected Ren to be in a perpetual Demon Lord state because of Kyoko's future date, and he expected Kyoko to be in a tizzy over said date with her mysterious young man. Yet, there was none of that. They were both, almost literally floating everywhere they went. Ren had been bumping into things absentmindedly in his distraction with that love-struck look on his face, Yashiro lost count on how many times he had to remind him of it. Kyoko-chan seemed as though she had wings and the smile she had absentmindedly given more than once, had caused at least two accidents that he knew of for certain.

He wasn't sure which was worse. Her or, him. Certainly Ren's fans were disturbing, but Kyoko's admirers were wily creatures. Sneaky men with compliments, flowers, candies, stuffed plushies and a dressing room full of everything. The last time he had been this inundated at every turn, had been Valentine's Day with Ren's booty. However, this time it was at every job he had taken her to. How did something like this happen so fast? Hadn't it only been like a week since she had taken on her new look? He groaned at the thought and remembered the lists in _**Princess Magazine**_. She was already the girl most young men in Japan wanted as a perfect little girlfriend.

He could only hope that Ren would get off his ass and do something about his love life, so that men would know clearly that she was as unattainable as he was. Yashiro smirked. The _"Royal Couple"_ of entertainment. There had to be a way to give them a little push and get better results than just the trivial progresses that seemed to send Ren into a state of euphoria. Yashiro froze a little. What if that's all the poor guy could handle at a time. Would something more significant break him? Yashiro could just see in his mind's eye, Ren repeatedly running into a wall like a broken robot.

* * *

She was still in a daze from her date with Ren the prior evening and everything seemed to be covered in a beautiful pale pink cloud, not the horrible garish pink that Lory always made them wear for the LoveME section. Everything was perfect. Perfect weather, perfect outfit, her makeup and hair were perfect, Ren was perfect when she caught a glimpse of him and smiled. LME was perfect. Her scenes were perfect. Her two modeling shoots were perfect. Breakfast and Lunch were perfect. Even her silly manager that sometimes squealed like a teen-aged girl was perfect. She felt like she wanted to kiss every face and pinch every cute cheek.

She blushed a little thinking about the perfect face she had kissed last night. Smooth, soft and closely shaven with just the right amount of aftershave. She remembered the scent of his aftershave and cologne mixed along with his natural musky scent and she flushed, blushing furiously, remembering the dreams that something like that had elicited last night. Her knees felt a little weak and she giggled wondering if he felt the same way. She suspected it was something like that. She had caught a glimpse of him stunned in the alley, through the peep-hole in the door, before he walked to his car in a daze. The thought made her heart sprout wings again and flutter in her chest. Yes, this was definitely better than anything she had ever had with Shotaro. Undeniably.

"Kyoko-san, there's a delivery for you." The Photographer's assistant told her and Yashiro groaned.

Kyoko giggled at his reaction, set down her bento and answered the door to the lounge. Kyoko gasped when she saw the red crystal vase filled with a dozen Fire & Ice Queen roses before her. They were stunning. She grabbed the vase carefully, sat it on the table and opened the enclosure card.

 _{Thank you for a wonderful evening. I hope to enjoy your company again very soon. Love Always, Ren.}_

She blushed brightly and sighed, holding the card close to her heart and the curiosity was practically killing Yashiro.

"So, who's it from Kyoko-chan?" He was practically begging.

Hmm, she wasn't sure that she wanted to reveal this to Yashiro quite yet and if Ren hadn't said anything yet, she would like to keep it to herself for now. She just didn't wish to share this with anyone so soon. She wanted to bask in this moment alone, a little bit longer. She would definitely tell Kanae about it later, because she was the one that practically made it all possible. "An admirer." She told him and pocketed the card, while sniffing the roses. _Technically it wasn't a lie._

Yashiro's brow furrowed. _Crap... What do I tell Ren. It couldn't be that boy she has the date with Saturday, could it?_ He questioned as he looked up at the glorious flower arrangement. _Is he already starting to woo her? Oh no! I have to warn Ren so he can counteract it. I can't let him fall behind in this._ He thought in a panic.

"Is everything okay, Yashiro-san? You look a little pale." She asked with concern.

Yashiro shook his head. "No, no. I'll be fine. I just forgot something. I'm sorry Kyoko-chan, I need to step out for a bit to make a call."

She nodded and watched her worried manager step into the hall. _Oh well._ She shrugged off his strange behavior and pulled out her phone.

 _ **[Thank you for the roses. They're beautiful. -K]**_

 **Ping...**

 _ **[You're very welcome, but they aren't half as beautiful as you. -R]**_ Oh yes, he was getting bold. Her reaction last night and her flirting had been more than enough encouragement for that.

She blushed when she read the message.

 _ **[Thank you. -K]**_

 **Ping...**

 _ **[Gotta get back to work. Will call you later, Princess. -R]**_

Oh lord, she wanted to melt. He called her Princess. She blushed and giggled at the message. At this point she decided to place a security lock on her phone. She did not want _**anyone**_ reading their private messages on accident or, on purpose.

This time he really was doing his little dance and quietly singing _"I am the champion"_ in his dressing room. She actually sent him a text with all of the little emoticons and flashing letters, thanking him for the flowers. She didn't even balk at the _"Love Always"_ he had signed his name with. He was sure that she would have freaked out over it, but she didn't. She even accepted his cheesy, but true compliment. If his day hadn't been perfect before, it most certainly was now. Heck, even his bento tasted good. How long had it been since that had happened and it not been her cooking?

 _ **~xoxo~**_

Yashiro was beside himself with worry, when he stepped out into the hall. He really needed to talk to Takarada-san and warn him of what was happening or, Ren's love life would be left in a shambles. This young man was going after Kyoko-chan at full-throttle and he could do nothing to stop it, without being obvious. He didn't want to tell Kyoko-chan that the young man could have ulterior motives, it would probably shoot down the confidence that she had been showing lately. He didn't want her to think she wasn't worthy of something like that. He needed help pushing Ren into action and what he was doing wasn't helping at all.

"Takarada-san! I really need your help. There's a young man that sent Kyoko-chan flowers today and she accepted them! I don't know what to do!" He really hadn't explained well at all, he was so flustered.

Lory chuckled. "Yukihito-kun, she's a beautiful young woman in the entertainment industry. Of course young men are going to send her flowers."

"B-But, you should have seen the look on her face when she read the message attached. I think she knows the young man that sent them. I think it could be the young man you set her up on her date with for Saturday! We have to do something or, Ren will be left behind!" He really was a nervous wreck at this point.

Lory shook his head. "Well, isn't it a good thing that the young man is actually showing interest in her?"

"Y-Yes... but what about Ren?" He asked worried and a little disillusioned.

Lory sighed. "Yukihito-kun, if Ren isn't worried or, bothered by it, you shouldn't be either. That boy has obviously made his decision. If he has asked you not to interfere, then just don't. It's for the best." He commanded. Yashiro needed to be told to stand down, officially.

Yashiro sighed in defeat. "Yes Sir. I will not interfere with them."

"Good, just let me know all of the wonderful little details of Mogami-kun's journey." Lory told him in a fatherly tone. "Oh! What kind of flowers did the young man send her."

Yashiro groaned. "It was a dozen Fire & Ice Queen roses in a red crystal vase with little white orchids and some kind of wispy fern."

Lory chuckled. "I have to admit, he does know how to dazzle. I assume she liked it?"

He groaned again. He was definitely going to need an antacid after today. "She loved it. She even blushed."

"Interesting. Well, thank you Yukihito-kun. I will talk to you later." Lory hung up with a smile and Yashiro wanted to collapse on the floor and die. After all of the time he had put in, to get those two together, it was going to end with a dead fizzle. He sighed, straightened himself and decided to go back in and finish lunch, if he could actually stomach it still.


	13. Chapter 13

_**Chapter 13**_

 _ **T -2 Days & Counting**_

* * *

Once again Yashiro was stuck between two blinding smiles and now he was grousing. Yes, he was in a very sour mood, because of his male charge that he likened to a snail. Yashiro could see all of his hopes and dreams for the pair go up in the flames of the permanent and perpetual _"Friend Zone"_ and Ren was accepting it with an oblivious smile. _Dear lord, the man is worse than Kyoko-chan had been._ _How could he not see her just slipping away?_ He wanted to throttle him. He sighed as Kyoko-chan walked away to her next LoveME mission.

Ren chuckled. "What's got you in such a mood today, Yukihito?"

"A 190 cm snail..." Yashiro grumbled.

Ren just shook his head. Of course he knew what Yashiro was thinking about, he had been pestering him all morning about Kyoko. However, he and Kyoko decided last night, during their call, that they wanted to keep everything a little secret so they could enjoy the time without the paparazzi or meddling managers and bosses. At work they would be professional and they would take their quiet walks, dinners and other dates in the serenity of anonymity. He did however, have plans to tell Kyoko everything about himself very soon. He was hoping that she wouldn't reject him for lying to her for so long, but he got the impression that she would forgive him for the slight. He didn't know why, but he felt a certain comfort about it.

"Ren... Your face is slipping again." Yashiro grumbled.

"Ah yes, of course. Sorry." Ren chuckled and they continued on to their next appointment.

Yashiro would not be needed by Kyoko today and that kind of irritated him, leaving her alone to face the onslaught of this unknown suitor alone. _So young and innocent to be thrown into the clutches of that animal to be devoured._ _Oh no! Poor Kyoko-chan!_ The images of a ravenous wolf attacking Kyoko danced through Yashiro's mind and a horrified look fell over him.

"Are you okay Yukihito? You look like someone just killed your favorite pet." Ren asked with worry.

Yashiro shot him a scathing glare. "This is all your fault. Leaving poor Kyoko-chan to fend for herself with that wild animal!"

Ren choked back the laughter and schooled his expression. "Yukihito, it's not as bad as you think. Mogami-san will be just fine." He tried to reassure his manager and shook his head. He wondered how long his manager was going to be so melodramatic over the situation. "It's just a date."

"That's how they all start out! With a date! Then there's the engagement and marriage. Then comes the children! How could you be so calm about all of this?!" Yashiro ranted.

Ren shook his head. "I'm calm about it because that's all it is, Yukihito. Just a date, nothing more. Have a little faith."

Yashiro sunk down into his seat. He hadn't even realized that he had made it to and into the car and they were now half-way to their destination.

* * *

"Wow, I have to admit, I'm pretty impressed. I'm happy for you." Kanae told her. "I would tell you I hate to say I told you so, but I'd be lying." She laughed.

Kyoko rolled her eyes. "Yes, I know. I do have to thank you though Moko-san."

Kanae gave her a confused look. "For what?"

"For opening my eyes. For being the best friend that someone as blind as me can have." Kyoko told her quietly.

Kanae patted her on the back. "Well that's what friends are for and besides, it was getting tiresome watching the two of you. It was like watching a monkey trying to figure out what football was for. Just be safe about your new relationship." Kanae warned.

Kyoko furrowed her brow. "What do you mean?"

Kanae sighed. "Don't tell me you haven't been thinking of him lately. I can tell by the way you blush and freeze in the middle of doing something. You're thinking about... _you know_... and I don't want to be a godmother just yet."

Kyoko blushed furiously. "Oh my god, Moko-san! W-We haven't d-done anything l-like _**THAT**_!"

"Yet..." Kanae commented dryly and sat next to her. "It will happen sooner or later. Don't you think you should be prepared, instead of forgetting and getting into a whole mess of something you aren't ready for?" She questioned.

"What do I do?" Kyoko asked a little worried. She didn't want to end up in the situation that her mother had with her.

"We have the afternoon off. I can take you to the clinic I go to, and they can probably get you in today. Although... it'll cost you about 13,000 yen." She told her.

"I can afford it. I just finished paying off my acting classes." Kyoko told her.

"Great! You get changed and I'll make the call. We'll stop for an early dinner after you're done." Kanae told her while pulling out her phone and Kyoko grabbed her clothes.

* * *

"You could have at least warned me Moko-san. I feel so violated." Kyoko groused.

Kanae laughed. "Get used to it. You should have had that done a long time ago and you should have it done every year for your health. You're a woman. There are just too many things that can go wrong with us if we don't do that." Kanae lectured.

Kyoko groaned. "B-But it was so embarrassing!"

Kanae grinned mischievously. "Well look at it this way, at least you didn't have to ask Yashiro-san or, Takarada-san for time off to do it. You know how nosy they can both be."

Kyoko paled. "Okay, okay! I get it. Thank you for coming with me, Moko-san. I still say it was humiliating. I feel like some kind of farm animal up for auction after that."

Kanae was now giggling while holding her sides and wiping tears of mirth. "W-Well... I-I suppose that would be an accurate description for everyone's first exam. How about we go get dinner and dessert?"

Kyoko sighed and agreed. She really needed comfort food after all of that invasiveness. She supposed if it prevented something caused by a spur of the moment decision, it was well worth the humiliation.

* * *

Later that evening Ruto had placed a report on Lory Takarada's desk that would send tea shooting out of his nose and into his lungs. He blushed with embarrassment and surprise. He looked up at Ruto and the man nodded back at him. "At least they're being responsible and thinking ahead. Thank you Kotonami-kun, Mogami-kun definitely has a good friend in you." He murmured. Kanae had taken care of something that had never crossed his mind in all of his _"Love"_ planning. Something that he would take care to remember in the future if he ever encountered another LoveME case like Kyoko's. Children would not be something that she would need or want for quite sometime.

He pulled out his LoveME program planner and jotted a few notes down, so as not to forget something like that. He had been adding a lot to that planner lately. However, he definitely wouldn't be the one to suggest it. He would probably have Ten casually mention it. She seemed like someone that the girls trusted and would take advice from or, perhaps he could have his original LoveME Angels mentor future talents. He smiled at the idea and decided to start a little fund for his female charges and check to see if their insurance plan covered it. If not, he was going to request that they do, he would happily pay a little extra if it helped out in the long-run.


	14. Chapter 14

_**Chapter 14**_

 _ **T -1 Day & Counting**_

* * *

Yashiro was growing more and more antsy as the day wore on. It had started out a calm morning and Ren had the day off, but Kyoko's schedule for Friday had been insane. She had three interviews scheduled for the morning, a few scenes for her new drama from 10 am until 2 pm, from 3 to 5 she had a few scenes for Sacred Lotus, a little time for dinner and then an evening photo shoot from 7 until 10 for a line of evening wear and perfume line.

It was already 8:30 am and he felt like something the cat dragged in. He was definitely more worried about her date with that animal than she was. He was sending her flowers again and this time he had included an expensive box of chocolates from one of the finest chocolatiers in Japan. The guy was going all out. He did have to admit, the young man had really good taste and style to boot. _Poor Ren... Poor, poor Kyoko-chan..._ He shook his head as he stared at the new arrangement of lilies and roses and the large brown box, wrapped with a beautiful silk ribbon, that contained an assortment of 20 different little bonbon chocolates. The look on Kyoko's face when she tasted the first one almost blinded him. He sighed again. _Poor Ren never had a chance._ He pouted and flipped through their schedule to find out where they would be meeting for her scenes for _**Sacred Lotus**_. He really hoped that they wouldn't have anything waiting there for them too.

He whipped out his phone after donning a trusty glove and sent a text.

 _ **[He sent her flowers and chocolates this time... -Y]**_

 **Ping...** (Ten minutes later.)

 _ **[Oh, that was nice of him. Did she like them? -R]**_

"D-DID SHE LIKE THEM?!" He howled and then quickly looked toward the door of the lounge to make sure no one heard his outburst. "What the hell?" Yashiro sputtered in a whisper.

 _ **[Yes, she liked them you dolt! -Y]**_ He growled as he was typing. "Of all the things..." He grumbled.

 **Ping...** (Another five minutes later.)

 _ **[That was nice of him. I'm glad she liked them. -R]**_

Yashiro growled and huffed indignantly. "He's an idiot! A snail and a clueless idiot!" He grumbled again as he pocketed his phone in a huff.

By the time they had stopped for a quick lunch, Yashiro looked like he had spent the night sleeping in the mosh pit at a heavy metal concert. Kyoko was starting to feel a little sorry for him, but he just would not tell her what was bothering him. He had only replied that he had trouble sleeping last night and he would be okay once he had a little more coffee or something sweet to eat. At this point, she offered one of her delicious little chocolates, but he refused stating that he preferred a more wholesome treat like a piece of fruit or some juice. There was no way he was going to enjoy one of the _**"Chocolates Of Doom"**_.

* * *

He had sisters, cousins, aunts, female friends and even his own mother. He knew all of them had admirers and even dated some of them at some point and received gifts from them, but never in his life had he harbored such an intense hatred for a stuffed animal, as he did the innocent little tan fairy-bear, sitting on her makeup table at the moment. He wished that his icy gaze worked on the little _**"Thief Of Hearts"**_.

When they entered her dressing room, on the set of _**Sacred Lotus**_ , they were greeted by a cute little plush teddy bear with fairy wings, holding one red rose. Yashiro groaned inaudibly and Kyoko squealed with delight, hugging the little invader. Yes, that's what Yashiro had called it mentally, an invader. A home-wrecker. A little Lothario that was stealing Kyoko-chan away from Ren and from what Yashiro could tell, very successfully. The thought to put the little demon into the incinerator had crossed his mind more than once, but he refrained. He didn't want Kyoko-chan to be sad. It seemed as though she really liked the little Casanova. The guy wasn't even there and he was winning her over. Oh he was good, really good. He shot the little upstart a scathing glare at the thought. She was already putty in his lecherous hands and he was on order from Lory not to do a thing. Not that he could actually do anything at this point anyway. It was far too late, apparently.

By the end of the day, Yashiro had looked and felt like he had spent the last 14 hours in the roughest parts of a hurricane, holding onto a palm tree for safety. He was exhausted, pale, bags under his eyes and his five o'clock shadow had decided to surface at around three in the afternoon, thankfully he had brought his electric razor with him and taken care of it before anyone else noticed, and finally his cow-lick had decided it didn't like the hair gel he was using and popped up, leaving him with a curl in the center of his forehead.

He sat down on his sofa to enjoy a nice cup of relaxing tea and the evening news. He sighed. _Thank goodness Kyoko-chan and Ren have all day off tomorrow._ He took a few more sips, his eyes popped open and he grimaced in irritation. _They both have off tomorrow?! Why that sneaky little..._ He looked at his watch and groaned, it was too late to call either of them and they probably wouldn't answer. He seriously doubted that he would be able to reach them in the morning either. He groaned.

* * *

" _So what time should you be ready by tomorrow?"_ Kanae asked tiredly. She had demanded that Kyoko give her a call as soon as she got home, so they could go over their attack plan.

Kyoko sighed. "The limo will be by to pick me up at around 4:30 pm for an early dinner. I was told that I needed to dress formally." She yawned.

" _God, I hope it isn't that god-awful gold thing that Takarada-san always uses."_ Kanae groaned.

Kyoko shook her head. "No, he's sending a regular black one... Thank goodness."

" _So, what time do you want me over tomorrow to help? Remember, we'll be doing your hair and makeup."_ She reminded her.

"Oh! Come over at about noon. You remember that spa that Takarada-san sent us to last time? He sent me a message saying that he made us another appointment for them at 12:30." Kyoko told her a little excited to go again. After this week, she needed it. Yashiro had been acting strangely all week and it had been stressing her out a bit. She thought about it as she stroked the little bear Ren had sent her. She smiled softly.

" _Did he ever find out who your blind date was with?"_ Kanae asked.

Kyoko sighed. "No... But I am going to do as you suggested. I don't want any misunderstandings between the two of us. I'm dating Ren."

Kanae giggled. _"It's kind of weird hearing you say something like that. Good, but a little weird. It seemed like you were a lost cause for awhile."_

Kyoko groaned. "I know... Well, thanks to my excellent best friend, I really don't need to worry about that anymore. Thank you Moko-san." She yawned again. "I better get to sleep or I'll have bags tomorrow. See you at noon." The girls ended their call.

That night four people would sleep restlessly for different, but similar reasons... Hopes of what the future held.


	15. Chapter 15

_**Chapter 15**_

 _ **T -8 Hours & Counting**_

* * *

She was exhausted. She almost didn't get a wink of sleep last night and finally dozed off at about 2 am. She was trying to get at least one more hour of sleep, but apparently Kanae had other plans since she showed up 3 hours earlier than expected.

"Mo! Time to get up, Sleeping Beauty!" She told her as she ripped the sheets off her best friend. "We've got things to do! Up, up, up!"

Kyoko groaned wondering if this is what it felt like to have a drill instructor. She rolled over and tried to grab her covers back and noticed that her best friend had them already folded. "Moko-saaannn, just one more hour. I don't have anything until noon." She whined.

Kanae walked to Kyoko's closet and pulled out the black silk dress she was going to wear for her date shaking her head. "Tsk, tsk... You didn't take it out of the closet last night and now it's all wrinkled. What will you ever do." She smirked as she watched Kyoko bound from her futon and wail.

"NO! What do I do?! I can't wear it all wrinkled like that?!" She sobbed.

Kanae sighed. "Well, then it's a good thing you have me as a best friend."

Kyoko looked at her confused as Kanae shoved the dress as her, still on it's hanger.

"Mo!" She rolled her eyes. "Just take it in with you when you go to shower and the steam will take care of it. Just make sure not to get it wet or anything on it."

Kyoko sighed in relief. "Thanks Moko-san. I forgot about that little trick. Sorry I freaked out."

Kanae laughed. "Well hurry up and get cleaned up and dressed. You still need accessories for that dress."

The wonderful thing about starting out from scratch in the entertainment industry, with only the clothes on your back and a yen in your pocket, is that you really learn how to manage your money. You learn all of the wonderful little discount stores that contain imitation and authentic pieces. The saying is true, "One man's trash, is another man's treasure" or, woman's in this case.

Today or rather, this morning the hunter/gatherers were going to make their trek to the local shopping areas and scout appropriate accessories for Kyoko's ensemble for the evening. Kanae had a firm picture in her mind on what she deemed satisfactory and fortunately for Kyoko, Kanae knew of a wonderful little pawn shop that always had the nicest pieces for the right price, of course it helped that the gentleman that owned it was a little sweet on her. Nothing would ever come of it though, the guy was very married and Kanae didn't play those kinds of games, in addition he was old enough to be her grandfather.

What she had found for Kyoko had been a set of silver bracelets that looked like little vines with little black, onyx roses, a matching necklace and a pair of black rose earrings to match were thrown in when the adorable, elderly gentleman decided that Kyoko was a goddess incarnate, just as his little Kanae-chan.

Their next stop would entail the purchase of a black, silk garter belt and matching stockings, and a cute little clutch to go with everything. It took a bit to find what Kanae would approve of and for Kyoko to stop protesting and blushing like a fully ripened cherry.

"M-Moko-san, I really don't know why I need to go through all of this trouble if I'm not going to really date him." Kyoko protested.

Kanae sighed. "Look, this past two weeks you have created an image. You need to keep that image up. You also need to make a good impression. What if you decide at some point in the date that you actually would like to see this guy again?" She held up her hand. "Just listen, I don't mean date him again. I mean what if you have to work with him again or, a paparazzi takes a photo of you two together or, if wherever you go there are important people there that will see you? Do you want them to see the old, insecure Kyoko or, the new confident Kyoko that knows how to put herself together and carry herself?" She explained.

"I guess you're right." She sighed. "I suppose with all of the new photos out of me this past two weeks it would look kind of weird if I didn't dress properly for the date. Even if it is with an acquaintance or, a friend."

"There see? It would look kind of weird for you to look good around me, but not the guy you have a date with." She held up the undies and little black, sequined clutch, then smiled. "Let's go pay for this and grab lunch at the Darumaya before the car comes to pick us up."

Kanae had been looking forward to this little spa trip, too. Ever since Kyoko had mentioned it over the phone, she had practically been daydreaming about it.

* * *

Across town, a young man was getting ready to pick up the flowers and candy that he had purchased for the impending event. He was double checking his attire that he had laid out for the date and separating it so that he would forget nothing. He was debating on leaving the tickets to the ballet in the nightstand, but decided that he would probably forget them if he did, so he placed them in his dress-jacket's inner pocket. He grabbed his wallet and keys then left to pick up the offerings for his patron goddess.

* * *

In a darkened apartment in another part of town, a manager was fending off a growing migraine with several glasses of water, a couple of extra-strength headache pills, his room in complete darkness, aromatherapy, air conditioning, and soft music to distract him from thinking about the love life of his male charge circling the drain and his female charge being catapulted far from his reach by some mysterious, smooth-talking, Casanova that she would be in the clutches of tonight. However, he was holding on to the small glimmer of hope that perhaps Kyoko's date was with Ren and that's why they both had the day off.

He groaned. He thought of it again and he wanted to kick himself. He was never going to get any decent sleep or, get rid of his headache like this.

* * *

In a large mansion, that resembled the Taj Mahal, an eccentric boss kept himself busy by continuing to plan out the futures of his two LoveME Angels and now, quite possibly his #3. She seemed to be developing a liking to the game show she was on and the young man she was working with seemed to have developed a respect for her. This was good.

Upstairs, unbeknownst to any of the usual suspects in this story, a curly haired little girl was lighting candles, heating up her cauldron and preparing her chants for her Onee-sama's future. Grandfather had left her out of the loop on all of this, but she had just as much talent in information gathering as Ruto and she was as equally adept at scheming as Lory. She would make certain that her Onee-sama was happy, no matter what she had to do to accomplish it.

* * *

"Ah-a-a-a-a-ah." Kanae sighed at the masseuse worked in the aromatic oils and uncoiled her tight muscles. "Thank you for inviting me along Kyoko."

Kyoko giggled. "You're welcome, Moko-san. I figured with how much you've had to put up with my craziness, you probably needed it."

"Mo... I really don't mind so much." She turned her head in Kyoko's direction as the strong woman's hands worked on her neck. "So, you mentioned that your pest came around the other day. How did that go?"

Kyoko sighed and a little groan came out, but quickly dissipated due to the relaxing environment. "The usual or at least, he tried to make it the usual. He was almost successful in irritating me, but I remembered what you and I talked about and it hit me... He was behaving like a spoiled, jealous child that was losing its toy." She snorted.

Kanae giggled. "I kind of figure that was the case with him. Yashiro-san was able to keep him away?"

Kyoko smirked at her. "He didn't really need to. Ruto-san was there. He stopped him from acting like he usually does. You know, with the grabbing and all of the physical stuff he normally does." Kyoko winced a little when her masseuse started working on a particularly difficult knot in her back. "I realized something when he started with his usual _"Plain and Boring"_ speech. Actually, I realized it when he tried to imply that we were ever friends." She sighed.

"And what was that realization?" Kanae asked as she turned over to have her arms, legs and feet done.

"He was never really a friend to me. I was his friend, but he only ever saw me as a convenience or _**something**_ to use to get what he wanted. He has no concept of what it means to be a friend... Thank you Moko-san." Kyoko continued as she too was turned.

Kanae glanced over at her. "For what?"

Kyoko smiled softly. "For showing me what a real friend is and does."

Kanae huffed a little. "Ugh, stop being so gushy..." She grinned. "Thank you for showing me too."


	16. Chapter 16

_**Chapter 16**_

 _ **BOOM?...**_

* * *

Kanae smiled at her friend/masterpiece. Whomever this young man was, his heart was going to stop tonight when he caught sight of Kyoko. Kanae had been a little worried about the garter belt and stockings at first, due to the plunging back of the dress, but the undergarment hung just low enough to not be a nuisance. However, they did end up using a little double-sided sticky tape to keep possibility of wardrobe malfunctions to a minimum.

The final effect was devastating and Kanae had to have a picture of it, so she posed her best friend like a cover model and started the mini-photo shoot and texted one of the photos to Lory Takarada of the final product later in the evening, as he had requested. That photo was then cleaned up and promptly filed into Kyoko's portfolio. She indeed looked like a goddess. Kanae felt sorry for her date. The poor guy was only going to get a glimpse of a goddess and then immediately friend-zoned.

"Remember to relax and have fun!" Kanae told her as she helped her arrange a light silver-grey shawl over her shoulders. She then waved as Ruto helped Kyoko into the limo to take her to her first stop of the evening and to meet her mystery man.

"Mo..." Kanae sighed as she felt a feminine hand on her shoulder.

"Would you like some tea Kanae-chan?" The Okami smiled at her and Kanae nodded. "Thank you for helping Kyoko-chan. You are a very good friend. Her new confidence suits her."

Kanae nodded in agreement and sighed. "She should have never been the way she was before. Fuwa-san really did a lot of damage when he said those things to her."

The Okami looked at her in surprise. "Fuwa-san did that?"

Kanae nodded. "Yeah... She was in love with him when they first moved to Tokyo. They grew up together and he used that to his advantage. She was basically his slave until just before she decided to start acting." The words just flowed for Kanae. This woman was essentially a mother to Kyoko and she kind of felt she needed to know this for some reason. Needed to know in order to help Kyoko along with her growing progress. "She caught him in a compromising position with his manager and he told her he was only using her as a servant and that she was plain, boring and unattractive." Kanae chuckled and missed the sound of a large knife being buried deeply in a cutting board in the kitchen. "He still harasses her, but our boss is in the process of fixing that. I heard that he filed a restraining order on him and he has to keep a distance of at least 90 meters from her, six if it's for work. At least that's what I was told." Kanae took a deep sip of the delicious tea.

"Oh my..." Okami breathed out as she glanced up at the Taisho, who was now standing in the doorway of the kitchen with a stoic look and his arms crossed. He nodded to her and returned to his work. She patted Kanae on the arm. "Well... Thank you for telling me this Kanae-chan. That boy has been here more than once trying to speak to her. We had no idea he was the one responsible for her condition. He always seemed so polite."

Kanae snorted a little. "Must be the only time he's polite." She mumbled to herself.

* * *

She was still a little nervous, but the atmosphere in the limo was relaxing. She definitely felt like a A-list Star with the treatment she had been getting today. The shopping trip, the trip to the spa, and now her _"rich girl"_ ride to the restaurant where she would meet her date. She calmed her nerves by listening to the soft music and let the smell of the leather interior calm her.

They had finally reached the upscale restaurant at 5:15 pm and even though she had calmed herself sufficiently, her fingers were still a little fidgety, so she decided to keep them occupied by holding her clutch tightly in front of her as she was escorted through the restaurant entrance by the uniformed door attendant.

The Maître D' looked up at her and smiled cordially. "Kyouko-san. Welcome. It's nice to see you this evening. You're table is ready and there is a young man waiting for you." He bowed politely and escorted her in the direction of a table that a tall, blond male was sitting at, with his back to her.

At first, her eyes went wide with a little surprise and then she smirked mischievously. She rolled her eyes and shook her head with a light giggle. Just as she passed him, before he stood up to pull out her seat, she flicked a lock of his neatly styled blond hair. "You know... If you don't let it rest, it's going to get damaged and all fall out, Kuon." She scolded playfully.

He glanced at her with shocked green eyes and then chuckled. "Ms. Woods said the same thing to me this morning, Bo."

They both started giggling as they finally settled in and she removed the shawl she was wearing then placed it on one of the empty seats with her clutch. She was breathtaking.

He cleared his throat. "You look beautiful tonight, Kyoko."

She blushed and he could definitely see it traveling down to her bare shoulders and a little onto the soft ivory skin of her cleavage. "T-Thank you." She said a little nervously noticing the Emperor peaking out a little bit from behind Kuon's eyes, which in itself was even more devastating than before with those gorgeous green eyes. She flushed even more and he gave a light chuckle and picked up the menu.

"You aren't upset with me for not telling you?" He asked as he looked up from the menu in front of him.

She shook her head. "Mmm, not really. I felt you probably have a good reason for not saying anything."

He frowned a little. "I'm sorry. I really meant to tell you sooner."

She looked up and lowered her menu and smiled. "I'll listen when you're ready. We all have things that are difficult to talk about."

He nodded with a small smile. "Thank you."

She nodded with a smile. "Hmm, have you ever eaten here before? I have no idea what I want."

"Well, they do have frog's legs." He grinned mischievously. "But I heard their Fillet and their Seafood is really good."

She giggled. "You know... I might just try them just to spite you, Corn."

"That won't be necessary." He chuckled. "Have you decided what you want yet?"

She nodded. "I think I'll try the Fillet Mignon... The smallest one, with the steamed vegetables."

He nodded and flagged for the waiter. Then finally gave their order to the friendly, professional man.

"And how would you like those cooked?" He asked the pair.

Kuon looked at Kyoko. "What do you think?" She asked.

He chuckled. "Dad always said the best way to eat it, was rare."

Kyoko giggled. "Yeah, but we all know how he'll eat anything, even if it's not cooked."

He laughed. "Well, that is true, but in this case I'm going to try it out." He looked at the waiter. "Both rare please."

The waiter nodded. "It should be out soon, Hizuri-san." He bowed slightly and left to put in their order.

Kuon leaned to the chair that was opposite the one with Kyoko's things on it and pulled the Rose and Stargazer Lily arrangement out along with the box of chocolates he had got for her.

"Kuon! You shouldn't have." She gasped as he stood, handed them to her and kissed her cheek.

"What can I say? I like spoiling you." He beamed with an angelic smile as he took his seat and watched her fawn over the flowers.

"They're beautiful." She sighed. "You know... You were driving poor Yashiro-san crazy all week." She giggled. "For a while I thought for sure he was going to throw "Fairy-chan" into the incinerator."

He laughed and shook his head. "Yeah, I kind of figured as much. He kept blowing up my phone with texts about your _mystery date_."

Although the day started as tense and filled with worry, dinner was relaxed, delicious and fun. Soon they would be leaving for their next destination via the limo that had been provided by Lory Takarada, to enjoy the rest of their _"not a first date"_ , _"first date"_.


	17. Chapter 17

_**Chapter 17**_

 _ **Observations**_

* * *

It had been a somewhat rough week for him, and his manager had suggested a nice relaxing evening out with a companion to ease the tension and take his mind off his worries. Things had been arranged and reservations had been made. The restaurant was suitable for someone of his caliber and the rich food and atmosphere was perfect. At least until he heard the low murmurs of the surrounding patrons and the irritated look on his date.

Sho turned to the direction that Mimori had been focused on and noticed a tall, natural-blond male facing a stunning goddess. The stunning goddess being Kyoko and the tall male, since his back was turned to him, was unknown. She was cradling an expensive flower arrangement as the gaijin helped her with her shawl, covering her bare back and irritating Sho even more than before. Certainly the thought that she had been dating Tsuruga irritated him to no end, but this guy was even worse. This guy was an unknown factor. As the saying goes, _"Better the devil you know, than the devil you don't"_ and this devil, he wasn't familiar with at all. It seemed like Kyoko did, though. She knew him well enough to allow him to kiss her in public and _**that**_ irritated him even more than before.

The fact that he had been warned by Akatoki and he had a restraining order on him, completely slipped his mind. A lot of things slipped his mind and made him stupid when he was near her. He started to stand as they walked out the door and he quickly followed, only to just catch a glimpse through the large glass doors, of them entering their limo and driving away.

"Sh-Sho-chan..." Mimori stuttered out with worry, touching his arm to get his attention.

He yanked his arm away from her and stomped out of the building, leaving Mimori alone at the restaurant, with no ride and a bill to pay. It was the final straw for the young model. She pulled out her phone and called her manager for a ride. When she was finally picked up, she told her everything that had happened and informed her that if Shoko-san or, Fuwa-san ever asked for her again, she was to tell them unequivocally _**no**_. She was finished with having her heart torn out, stomped on and used by that selfish, arrogant ass. On Monday morning, she would do everything she could to break her contract with Akatoki and find another agency to represent her. She didn't even want to be in the same building with him.

* * *

Yuri Moto thought for sure his day was going to be a complete failure when he sat down at the bar of the restaurant. He had even resigned himself to the fact that the only thing that would come out of this little expedition would be a hefty bar-tab, but things started looking up when Sho Fuwa had entered like a strutting rooster with Mimori Nanokura on his arm. He guessed that the rumors of Fuwa and Kyouko dating each other must have been just that.

Things got even better when he was able to catch a photo with his smart phone of the little goddess when she came in. She was stunning and he wondered why Fuwa would be there with someone else. What would Kyouko's reaction be when she saw "her man" with the gravure model? He had even prepared himself for the fireworks, but nothing came of it. She didn't even notice him. She was there to meet a very nice looking foreigner. The young man looked a little like Ren Tsuruga, but one could tell his hair was naturally blond and his eyes were green. He shrugged it off. He had heard somewhere that everyone had a twin somewhere and he supposed that this might be the case.

He felt elated that he was able to get photos of Kyouko's date with the young man. They seemed very comfortable with each other and it appeared as though they knew each other very well. He was practically in heaven when he watched Fuwa practically leap from his seat and run after them after they had left. From the young man's behavior, he seemed surprised to see her and angered about her date. If Fuwa was dating her why was he there with Mimori? If Kyouko was dating him, why didn't she know he was there or even notice him when she came in? Was there a love triangle going on? He shook his head. No... There were obviously two distinctive couples there and one really didn't care if there was anyone else in the room. From the looks of it Kyouko-sama and the young foreigner had been dating for awhile. Did Kyouko-sama have a stalker that was a celebrity? Now that was a story! With those observations, Yuri decided that he needed to take a deeper look into the situation.

* * *

Lory Takarada and the little hidden spy in his home office, both let out a sigh of relief when he finished speaking to Ruto over his office phone's speaker. Of course he knew Maria had been in the office listening too, that's why he had the phone on speaker. He didn't want to keep her in suspense, worrying about the date the pair had shared.

They both felt their hearts leap for joy when Ruto had said that the date had gone without incident, even though Fuwa had been at the restaurant. Lory was even more ecstatic that Kyoko had not walked out when she discovered the identity of her date. In fact, she had been uncharacteristically affectionate. It made Lory wonder exactly how well they knew each other and what exactly had happened in Guam. Kuon had only told them that the met each other there in passing and talked. He wondered what Kuon considered _talking_. He shook the thoughts from his head, but they all came flooding back when he remembered the appointment that Kotonami-kun had made for Kyoko days earlier. "No... No... They have not progressed to _**that**_." He groaned. "I think I'm getting as bad as Yukihito-kun." He sighed then chuckled.

Maria giggled silently and snuck out when her grandfather became distracted by his thoughts. She needed to go check on her spells and make sure that everything was still in order. The night was still young and one did not come by the items and ingredients she had procured, easily. Hairs from both, perfume and cologne from both, little replicas she had handcrafted, and a small snip from each person's clothing. The last had been the most difficult for her. She had to do it without ruining the original piece. Don't even ask how she got the hair and the scents, she would take that to her grave. Just like she would take the knowledge that Ren-sama was a blond to her grave.

* * *

Yashiro was beside himself with worry. He had attempted to call both his charges earlier in the day and his calls were either not answered or, rejected fully. Lory had told him not to worry about it, because Kotonami-san was with Kyoko until it was time for the date and Ren had some task that Lory had given him to do. What it could be, Yashiro wasn't sure, but he was glad Lory had given him something to keep his mind off of Kyoko-chan... _Not that he had been bothered by any of this anyway._ He thought wryly.

He groaned a little and decided to do something to take his mind off of everything, put a puzzle together or some little meaningless, mind-numbing task that would prevent the stress from coming back and burrowing into his brain with another migraine.

* * *

First and foremost... After what Taisho had heard from his wife and Kanae-chan, the little thug known as Shotaro Fuwa, would never set foot in his establishment again as long as he was alive. _(Taisho, that is.)_ However, when the little idiot tried to force his way in and demand that he be allowed to wait for her to come home, Kanae-chan had a beautiful handle on things. Apparently he had seen Kyoko-chan at the restaurant with _"that gaijin asshole"_ and he had taken a cab directly from there to wait for her, not thinking for a minute that perhaps her night wasn't finished yet.

When Kanae-chan had pulled out her phone to call Lory Takarada and let him know about the situation, Fuwa-san angrily slapped the phone away from her and another regular patron, that just happened to know Kyoko and was a police detective, decided to step in and help. At which point he had been informed that Fuwa-san had a restraining order against him, which led to a pair of handcuffs and a phone call to confirm the order.

Unfortunately for Sho, the paparazzi that had been staking out Kyoko's residence to get more photos of the relationship between the pair _(photos of them kissing)_ , had been waiting just outside and was rewarded with the scoop of a lifetime. A story about an arrogant, self absorbed child that was now being placed in a police car in cuffs, screaming "You can't do this to me! I'm Sho Fuwa! I'll sue you!"

Aki Shoko and Ken'Ichi Katagiri would have a very busy weekend.


	18. Chapter 18

_**Chapter 18**_

 _ **Red Carpet**_

* * *

She snuggled up next to him as they drove to their next destination. "Why didn't you say anything?" She gave him a pout and a light swat to his arm.

He chuckled. "I wanted you to be surprised."

She rolled her eyes. "Well... You did surprise me." She giggled. "So, where are we going now?"

He kissed her forehead. "That's a surprise too. You'll see soon enough." He smiled brightly.

When they finally arrived and exited the limo at the bottom of the steps that led to the theater, they were surprised by the multitude of camera flashes. They had not expected that so many paparazzi would be waiting there. Although, they really hadn't been waiting for them, specifically. It was just one of the many places that they tended to camp on for good shots of their favorite subjects. They never dreamed that they would be getting choice photos of the latest tasty morsel.

Kuon groaned audibly. "I'm so sorry, Kyoko."

She giggled. "It's okay." She told him as they walked up the steps. "Moko-san warned me that something like this could happen."

He sighed in relief and relaxed, well at least until the questions came.

"Are you dating, Kyouko-chan now?"

"Kyouko-chan, is this your new boyfriend?"

"What about Sho?" This one made her ear twitch in irritation, but she kept her smile and didn't respond.

"How long have you been dating Kyouko-chan?"

"Could you tell us your name?"

"How long have you known each other?"

"Are there wedding bells in the future?" The pair almost cracked up at that one. It was their official first date for heaven's sake!

Finally they entered the building and the paparazzi focused on their next victims. Both Kuon and Kyoko were giggling at the crazy gauntlet they had just walked through. Kuon chuckled and kissed her cheek. "Congratulations, you have officially been baptized by the paparazzi. So what do you think of your first _"Red Carpet"_ experience?"

Kyoko laughed. "Not too bad, but they are a little ruthless when it comes to personal questions."

He nodded in agreement. "It only gets worse. The best you can do is not answer them or, tell them _"no comment"_. I'm sure Takarada-san or, Yashiro-san will have a talk with you on how to handle them on Monday. You did do really well for your first time, though... I'm very proud of you." He beamed brightly.

"So what are we seeing tonight? I was so distracted that I didn't get a chance to look." She asked him expectantly.

He grinned mischievously as he pulled the tickets from his jacket and flashed them in front of her.

She squealed excitedly as her eyes went wide. "Really?!"

He nodded and she jumped to him, wrapping him in a tight hug. "Thank you!" She kissed his cheek. "This is the best night ever, Kuon! Thank you so much!"

He chuckled. "Anything for you, Princess."

That evening they would enjoy the wonders of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, a fairy prince and his princess. They would end their date at the back door of the Darumaya in quiet contemplation. They would murmur sweet words to each other and finally came the end of the night kiss. The kiss that would fill each other with the other's feelings and seal in stone what they had shared together that night.

They had both separated in a daze, one entering her home and the other, the limo they had shared that evening. One would turn to face three expectant faces asking for details of her evening and the other would answer his 37 messages that his manager/friend had left.

On Monday, they would find that their pest problem had a problem of his own, splashed across ever tabloid in Japan in various ways. He was portrayed as an obsessed fan/stalker of "The Kyouko" and his evening was posted. Mimori was interviewed and she had confirmed it. Photos of Kyoko's date with Kuon _(the mysterious blond foreigner)_ were plastered all over, eliciting mixed reactions. Some said that they were suited for each other, others would say that she was one of the top females and she should be with the top male.

It was the beginning of the end of Ren Tsuruga and the new life of Kuon Hizuri. That weekend was the final chapter in which Sho would ever show his face to her again and it was the dawn of enlightenment for Mimori Nanokura. She now sympathized with Kyoko and understood what she had gone through.

Kanae couldn't have been more pleased, even though she knew now she would have to work twice as hard to keep up with her best friend; however, she couldn't help, but take a little pride in the knowledge that this had been her doing. It was also on that Sunday, the day after the official first date, that Kuon had decided to confide in his best friend and manager, all of his secrets. That evening he would afford Kyoko the same privileges and more. That night they would give each other their hearts completely. _Not carnally, silly. They just started dating! They actually confessed to each other. Alas, all of the juicy stuff will have to be told at a later time._


End file.
